Plans to turn a former school site into dozens of new homes have taken a step forward - thanks to a grant of more than £600k from Homes England.
St John Stone RC Primary School in Ainsdale closed in September 2006, to the dismay of parents and pupils, after more than 33 years serving the local community.
The council is set to officially accept the £623,210 from Homes England at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. This money will then enable the authority to carry out necessary infrastructure works at the Meadow Lane site.
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Sandway Homes - the newly-created Sefton Council -owned housing development company - will then be responsible for completing further works to allow house building to begin.
Councillors agreed in establishing Sandway to develop new housing across the borough last year.
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The newly-formed company is now moving forward with developing detailed designs and proposals for priority house-building sites across the borough.
Documents on the council's website say the proposals for the former St John Stone site will "add housing choice and affordability" and "make a significant contribution to the local economy".
The site is among those earmarked for new homes in Sefton Council’s Local Plan, which will see 11,600 new homes build across the borough.
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In 2007, governors blamed the fall in the number of pupils on the roll on “demographic factors”. They said the establishment could not provide an effective education for the few remaining children.
They said population changes in the area had caused the number of pupils on the roll to fall from 155 to 109.
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Speaking at the time, mum Tracey Rossiter said: “I feel very upset and let down by the education system.
“St John Stone Catholic Primary is such a lovely school, it is really friendly. The children are devastated.”
