New Pavilion for Newsham Park

Councillor Louise Baldock has welcomed news of a permanent Pavilion for Newsham Park.

Liverpool City Council intend to provide two permanent football pitches on the south side of Newsham Park to help replace pitches elsewhere on land where a new school is We have also reminded the council that Newsham Park is a conservation area and any new pavillion must be in keeping with the park's 140 year-old heritage.to be built.

When the plans were first introduced by the council, they included temporary changing rooms for Newsham Park which could then be picked up and moved to a new site when the school works were finished and replacement pitches could be provided in the West Derby area.

Louise Baldock told the Echo "Our residents were unhappy that we only merited temporary changing rooms which would be taken away from us just as we were making the most of them. We are all very keen to have new pitches, there is nowhere to play football in our area. But we were very unhappy that we would only have the changing rooms 'for now' and afterwards our footballers would have to change in their cars. Labour Councillors in Kensington and Fairfield have lobbied the council hard for a better deal and we are delighted that they have seen sense. Not only have we won the victory that the temporary changing rooms will now in fact be permanent, but the building will now be extended to include a much needed community room, a base for our park rangers and public toilets."

The debate has now moved on to a discussion about where in the park the pavillion should go and what it should look like.

Louise said "It needs to be reasonably close to the new pitches but far enough away from neighbouring residents so as not to disturb them. We have insisted on full consultation with residents when looking at the design and the location."