The website for ex-pupils and staff of LSPD/SPHB/BSHIC
The proposed plans by developers to turn the school building into apartments face rejection by Sefton Council due to concerns raised by English Heritage and Sport England. Full report here.
Ronnie Gilbody has posted on the Guestbook details of Travelodge prices for weekend of the Reunion in 2014. Ticket prices for the Reunion to be announced in February.
New plans have been submitted to Sefton Council by Centremodel Ltd to transform the school into 27 apartments. These proposals also include plans to build 30 four and five bedroomed houses.
The Champion has the story here, which includes comments from local residents on the new plans.
Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club wants to buy the grounds in front of our school and turn it into cricket pitches. The Cricket Club has approached the developers about buying the land or leasing it on a long-term basis.
Plans to turn our school into flats and homes have been shelved after the developers withdrew their appeal. Will new plans come forward? Only time will tell. In the meantime, the grounds and buildings continue to be neglected. It is such a shame.
Plans by Centremodel Ltd to turn our school into apartments were turned down by Sefton Council at a Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, 9 March. The application was refused by Sefton Council at that meeting.
In June we reported that Centremodel Ltd presented their proposals for the restoration of the school at a meeting held at Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club. On 2 December their plans were submitted to Sefton Council.
The earliest date for a decision is 24 December; the application expiry date is 3 March 2011.
If you feel strongly about saving Birkdale School, below are a number of places to go to keep up with developments and/or to share your opinions:
A new Facebook Group has been set up led by former pupil David Jones, his wife Suzie and Todd Garner. They are in discussions with Centremodel Ltd., the developers behind the proposed restoration of the school into apartments, to retain the school building for the use of the deaf. A presentation is being prepared for the developers and associated interested parties, including Sefton Council.
To follow the developments of this, please click here. (You need to be logged into Facebook to see this page.)
This week’s edition of the Southport Champion reports that following a meeting on 10 June Sefton Council will serve an Urgent Works Notice on the owners of the Grade II listed school building.
According to the newspaper, the council will use the powers available to them under the Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990* to get the owners to carry out much needed repairs necessary for the preservation of the unoccupied listed building. The notice must last a minimum of 7 days, and if, after that time, the owners fail to complete the works, Sefton Council can step in, carry them out themselves and seek to recover the costs involved.
*The Southport Champion newspaper had this written as 1980, but the year of that Act is 1990.
Centremodel Ltd presented their proposals for the restoration of our school today at Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club.
There were drawings and architect plans on display of what the proposed site could look like. Their aim is to restore the main building to roughly the way it was; it is a Grade II listed building so needs to be retained as much as possible. The main building will be divided into “affordable” apartments. There was a suggestion the clock tower could be turned into an exhibition area to house historical data about the building.
The Junior/Senior School and Gym would be knocked down to make way for new houses. More houses would be put up around the rim. The grounds are to include a bowling green and an open space for the public to walk through and sit in. It was mentioned some facilities may be by membership only.
Centremodel Ltd are preparing to submit a planning application to Sefton Council with these proposals, and their aim today was to seek views from the public on these plans.
The Southport Visiter announced on Friday that a public consultation about the restoration & development of our school will take place at Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club on Tuesday 22 June, 1-7pm. The Sports Club is on Trafalgar Road (postcode: PR8 2HF).
Please support this event if you wish to safeguard the future of what remains of the building we know and love so much. Quite a few ex-pupils are already attending this meeting to show how strongly we feel about recent events and to push for better plans for the school site for the future.