Plans for scaled down synagogue and new care facility in change for city's Jewish community

A new, smaller synagogue and care facility are to be developed as part of a major change in Liverpool’s Jewish community. Plans have been lodged with Liverpool Council for a downscaled place of worship and a new 73-bed care home at an existing site on Dunbabin Road, Childwall.

According to documents made available by the local authority, the site is currently occupied by a social hall which is in use by the neighbouring synagogue. As part of the disposal of the social hall site, the synagogue will be redeveloped and reduced in size.

Alongside it, the new care home will be put in place with associated access road and car parking. The proposed development will be spread across three floors, with 52 across the first and second floors and an additional 21 on the ground level.

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The site will provide 30 car parking spaces for staff and visitors. Of these, one will be for a mini-bus/ambulance, eight will be for electric vehicle charging points, and a further two will be for mobility impaired. There will also be a delivery bay which allows a vehicle to load/unload close to the care home, back of house and bin store, without restricting movements in and out of the parking spaces.

The car park will be large enough to accommodate visitor and staff parking. The two developments will share the same access. The proposed care home will be located on the site of the former social hall.

The report said: “As a result of a declining congregation size, there is an opportunity to redevelop the synagogue into a purpose built building which can accommodate a smaller congregation and a smaller event space. The two uses will share an access, with the existing egress being closed off.

“The car park will sit outside of the secure site boundary. Given that services will take place on the Sabbath and this prohibits driving, the vast majority of trips to the synagogue will be on foot, as per the existing and historic situation.”

A transport statement attached to the application said in previous years the congregation size has significantly reduced, however at its peak the synagogue and social hall would have generated a large number of pedestrians entering the site. The current membership is approximately 200 people and the small hall is only used for social events.

It added: “Numbers attending these events are in the vicinity of 70/80 persons maximum, and there may be three or four social functions a year. At these events if not on festivals or a Sabbath congregants arrive by car. Where congregants arrive by car, there is a high level of car sharing due to families and friends attending together.

“The current numbers attending on Sabbath are around 60-75 persons but all arrive on foot with no vehicular traffic. The redeveloped synagogue will cater for this current level of usage.”