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New St Julie’s options to be considered

Alternative plans are to be drawn up to relocate St Julie’s Catholic High School in Liverpool.

As part of the £169 million Liverpool Schools Investment Programme, it had been proposed that the school move from its existing site on Speke Road to the former Lower Lee Special School on Beaconsfield Road in Woolton – next to SFX Catholic College.

Mayor Joe Anderson has tonight met with local residents and told them that, after taking a detailed look at the proposals, he has listened to their concerns over traffic and decided that the planning application should not be submitted.

Mayor Anderson said: “We are committed to holding genuine and meaningful consultation, and after a close look at this proposal following concerns raised by residents, I have decided it would be best to look at alternatives.

“This was only ever a proposal, and having now studied it, I have concluded that it is not the right location for the school.

“I would like to reassure parents and pupils at St Julie’s that this does not affect my Mayoral pledge, and I am committed to finding a new site for the school, which we will announce and consult on in due course.

“I won’t play politics with the future education of pupils in this city and am committed to working with the school and local residents to come up with a workable solution.”

St Julie’s has been informed and they understand the Mayor’s decision to find the best location for a new school and and will support plans to look at another site.

A rebuild on the existing St Julie’s site is not considered feasible due to the tight site constraints, disruption to pupils during construction, which would require temporary accommodation, and due to the prohibitive cost.

The Liverpool Schools Investment Programme, which will see at least 12 schools refurbished or rebuilt, was devised as a rescue package following the scrapping of Wave Six of Liverpool’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project, and is one of the Mayor’s key pledges.

Liverpool Waterfront