A non-league football ground in Merseyside has received extra protection against development after it was designated a community asset.
Prescot Cables FC’s home ground Valerie Park has been confirmed as an “asset of community value” by the local council.
The designation means the community would have the right to bid for the ground should its current owners, Knowsley Council, decide to sell it.
The council bought the ground for £300,000 in 2018 and granted the Cables a 99-year lease, securing the club’s future after the previous landlords declined to extend the lease.
Although the council has no current plans to sell the ground, the designation as an asset of community value provides an added layer of security that the ground will continue to be used for the community for the foreseeable future.
In a report on the decision, Knowsley Council said: “Regardless of the level of support, the football ground serves as a focus for the community, has heritage resulting from the achievements of the club and the many celebrated players who have played at the ground for over a century.
“The club provides local people with an inclusive social environment open to all members of the community whatever their background.
“It is located within the heart of the local community and meets an important social need of Prescot and the Knowsley community.
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“In addition, the club is engaged in improving the social wellbeing of local residents in a number of ways through sporting activities. The fact there may be ancillary uses which may not be social wellbeing/social interest related would not mean that the land cannot be an asset of community value.
“It is therefore considered that the current use furthers the social wellbeing and social interests of the local community.”
Valerie Park was previously listed as an asset of community value in 2013, but this expired in 2018, just before the council stepped in to buy the ground.
The current listing will also last for a period of five years, and makes Valerie Park the only asset of community value listed in Knowsley.
Prescot Cables has endured a tough period over the past year and had to appeal to fans to help raise £10,000 to make up for lost income during lockdown.
Earlier in October, the club had to suspend all activity for two weeks after a player tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the Cables to forfeit their FA Trophy fixture against Frickley Athletic.
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said “The council support Prescot Cables Football Club CIC’s application for Prescot Cables Football Ground, Valarie Park, Prescot, for inclusion as an Asset of Community Value.
"The council recognises the importance that this asset has within the local community, offering a range of benefits including sporting and social opportunities. There are no plans to sell the asset.”
