Monastery redevelopment plans set for green light

Plans to renovate and redevelop a historic monastery with the aim of improving hospice services across the Liverpool city region are on the verge of securing the green light.An outline planning application by Claire House Children’s Hospice, which is based at Bebington in the Wirral, to transform the former Carmelite monastery on Honey’s Green Lane in West Derby will be considered by Liverpool City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, 18 July 2017. The complex had been occupied by the Carmelite order of nuns for more than 100 years, although the sisters left in early 2013 to relocate to a new purpose-built monastery at Maryton Grange between Calderstones Park and Allerton Manor Golf Club.In May 2016, Claire House signed an exclusivity agreement with the Carmelite order of nuns for the Honey’s Green Lane complex. The year-long agreement enabled Claire House to investigate the site’s potential and research the needs of seriously and terminally ill children in the area.The outline proposal aims to preserve the best parts of the existing monastery as well as the parkland and garden feel of the site. The ground floor would be for hospice-related activities, with the first and second floors set aside for staff facilities, training and administration purposes.Meanwhile, an extension is proposed that is primarily for public- and child-related activities. It is envisaged that this new-build would create a non-clinical environment that is inviting rather than intimidating.There would also be a series of pavilions introduced into the grounds suitable for a range of uses such as meetings, counselling and therapy.The planned hospice facilities would operate on a 24-hour basis with staff and volunteers working shifts. Although staffing numbers will vary, they would typically be in the range of ten to 90 at any one time.Ahead of the meeting, a report prepared by planning officers has recommended that the scheme should be approved.The monastery is located a short walk from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which cares for more than 270,000 children every year and already works closely with Claire House.