New £3.5m home for Zoe's Place approved by Liverpool Council
A new £3.5m home for Liverpool’s specialist baby hospice has been given the green light by Liverpool Council. Earlier this year, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice launched an appeal calling on its supporters, businesses and individuals within the community to help raise vital funds to develop a new headquarters close to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
The lease on its existing base on Yew Tree Lane in West Derby is due to expire next year. A planning application for the former bowling green and Victorian villa at Hayman’s Green has now been approved by members of the city council’s planning committee, allowing the vital location to take the relocation to the next step.
Since 1995, Zoe’s Place has been the only hospice for babies and children aged 0 - 5 years with life-limiting and complex conditions, proving to be a lifeline for hundreds of families in the region. The existing hospice can currently accommodate up to four children, with the new single storey development able to support six young people and their families.
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Agent Katie Dickinson told the committee the current location is “no longer fit for purpose” and Haymans Green met all the criteria for a new hospice. She added how the location was “vital” owing to the relationship with the nearby children’s hospital.
Last May, concerns were raised about the sale of the site when it was listed for residential development. The loss of the bowling green was raised within assessments by the city council’s planning team.
It said: “The application is supported by a planning statement which advises that the membership of the bowling club has been in decline since its peak in 1990. An ageing membership, with a lack of interest from new players, has been driving this decline.
“According to the statement, the club no longer competes in league games, and is no longer operational with the grounds and building now only being maintained.” The development will feature an indoor play area with doors which open out onto an outdoor play area while a change of use of the existing building would lead to the ground floor being partially converted into office space for fundraising.
While the fundraising team would be located within the new facility, existing fundraising events are usually held away from the existing hospice. It is expected there would be an opening ceremony and the hospice usually hosts a summer fair which may be held within the grounds.