Birkenhead School backlash over plans for land sale and housing development

A proposal to build homes on a much-loved green space has led to a huge backlash.

Birkenhead School, the independent school on Beresford Road in Oxton, wants to sell-off Noctorum Field and get permission for up to 33 four-and-five bedroom homes to be built at the site.

Paul Vicars, the school's headmaster, said the Field is "redundant" and that selling it could help to deliver £4m of investment into the sporting futures of young people across Wirral.

The plan has been submitted to Wirral Council along with a proposal to upgrade the School's existing sports hall and build an additional multi-purpose sports facility at its Bidston Road campus, featuring rooms for fitness activities, meetings and events.

But many do not want the plan to go ahead.

An online petition set up by Carmel Nolan, co-chair of the Noctorum Ridge Residents Association (NRRA), to protect Noctorum Field has attracted 648 signatures at the time of writing.

The NRRA is calling on residents to identify the Field as a local green beauty spot in Wirral Council's Local Plan consultation, something which would help to protect it from development.

The consultation closes at 5pm today and can be seen here.

A statement by the NRRA said the plan seeks to destroy a long established sporting, nature and wildlife sanctuary.

Ms Nolan said: "This corner of Birkenhead has been built around the green oasis of Noctorum Field.

"Building on it now would be like building on an historic village green. It deserves protection from that point of view alone and it is heartening to see so many people wanting to protect it as it is.

"The headmaster is wrong to describe the field as redundant. There is nothing superfluous about it. It still has great purpose as a functioning green space.

"It is increasingly valued as a natural beauty spot. The public rights of way here have seen much [increased use] through the pandemic as local green amenity and exercise space."

Ms Nolan thought Noctorum Field could be used more.

She said: "Just because the current management of Birkenhead School are choosing to under-use it as a playing field through the pandemic does not mean it does not have a great future ahead as a playing field if it is protected for future generations.

"We hope the School will still come to rethink the Field's future as a green space too.

"In any case, we are urging Wirral councillors to do the right thing by the environment, by residents, by climate emergency and by children's right to play spaces and protect the very evident multi-uses of this beautiful green eco and play space."

Cllr Gill Wood, who represents Claughton, said: "The determination of local residents to protect and sustain their local green space as a bio-diverse area for the well-being, now and in the future, of local people and the planet is inspiring."

The Labour councillor added: "I'm happy to support them to ensure this bit of our ward remains a green legacy gift to future generations."

A letter sent to parents at the School by Mr Vicars made the case for selling-off Noctorum Field.

One section read: "This first submission is aimed at realising a much-underused asset, one of the school's playing fields away from the main site.

"Very few of our current students have ever played sport at Noctorum; the replication of the cricket facility at McAllester Field, our main sports field, within the last twelve months, further reduces the school's need for Noctorum Field."

A subsequent letter sent by the School describes Noctorum Field as "a private redundant school playing field off Noctorum Road".

The letter adds that the money generated from selling the Field will be reinvested to fund the new sports hall, deliver substantial investment into Old Parkonians and Prenton Rugby Clubs and to further expand Birkenhead School's bursary programme.

In total, they claim the plans will produce £4m of investment for sporting facilities.

Mr Vicars added: "We have an exciting vision for Birkenhead School. We have now reached a key milestone following consultation with the local community in 2020 and earlier this year; and I'm pleased that over 70% of responses to our January consultation supported our vision to invest in new sporting facilities.

"Sport, and the benefits to mental health and physical fitness, are key parts of our wide co-curricular programme, which provides an important balance alongside a demanding, but inspiring academic programme.

"We continue to grow as a School and are passionate about the opportunities these new facilities will provide for our students and the local community more broadly."

Talking about the housing plan specifically, Mr Vicars continued: "Noctorum Field is an under-used asset that has the potential to provide Birkenhead School with a lasting legacy that will significantly improve the local sports facilities on offer for young people from across the Wirral.

"Without the sale of Noctorum Field with planning permission for residential use, our broader ambitions will simply not be realised.

"We hope both applications will be judged on their individual merits and that Wirral Council recognises the once-in-a-generation opportunity that they represent for young people in the borough."

Wirral Council is yet to decide whether to approve the planning applications.