Just 11 Months After Its Grand Reopening, Ravenmeols Community Centre Site Could Be Investigated for Housing
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Less than a year after Ravenmeols Community Centre celebrated its major refurbishment and reopening, the site is now being investigated as a potential location for new housing.
Sefton Council’s Cabinet is being asked next week to approve the next stage of Sefton 2030, a partnership with The Sovini Group that aims to deliver 1,000 new homes across the borough by 2030.
One of the sites being considered is the Ravenmeols Community Centre/Professional Development Centre site in #Formby, alongside former sites in #Ainsdale and #Bootle. Together, the three locations could provide around 230 new homes.
It is important to stress that no planning application has been submitted and no decision has been made to build on the site. If approved, The Sovini Group will carry out surveys and prepare initial design proposals to determine whether the sites are suitable for development.
The announcement has come as a surprise to many, as Ravenmeols Community Centre only officially reopened in August last year following a major refurbishment.
The much-loved community hub, which first opened in 1985, underwent extensive improvements thanks to grants and community support. The work included full redecoration throughout, a brand-new kitchen, Wi-Fi installation, new carpets and storage facilities.
Run entirely by volunteers as a registered charity, the centre is recognised as a Community Asset by Formby Parish Council and has been at the heart of the local community for four decades.
It hosts a wide variety of activities including art and music classes, Tai Chi, toddler groups, photography clubs, chess, slimming groups and Lego Robotics, while also providing an important meeting place for older residents, disabled visitors and carers.
In its report, Sefton Council says any future plans for the Formby site would include “a commitment to ensuring new facilities for the Ravenmeols Community Centre.” However, the council has not yet explained what this would mean for the existing community centre building.
Councillor Phil Hart, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Everyone deserves a safe, good-quality home. It’s key to a safe, happy and fulfilling life. Sefton 2030 is about making that a reality in our borough.”
“By working in collaboration with The Sovini Group, we can bring forward currently unused sites that have been earmarked for disposal and turn them into the right mix of over 200 new homes for local people.”
“This is an important step; we are still at an early stage, and nothing will happen at these sites without further approval of detailed plans by the council. These plans will include, in relation to the Formby development, a commitment to ensuring new facilities for the Ravenmeols Community Centre.”
The council says the Sefton 2030 programme aims to provide a mix of homes for rent and purchase while also creating jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities for local businesses.
Any future housing proposal would still have to go through the full planning process, during which the impact on roads, schools, healthcare and other local infrastructure would be assessed before any development could take place.
At next week’s meeting, councillors are only being asked to approve the investigation and design stage. Any proposal to build homes on the Ravenmeols site would require further council approval and a formal planning application before work could begin.
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Yet more houses to be crammed into Formby, meaning even more gridlocked roads getting in and out of Formby onto the by-pass, plus yet another community facility lost. When will Sefton Council realise that Formby has now reached its limit of new houses.