Green Party Councillors and ecologists paid a visit to Allerton Priory earlier this month to see for themselves how important the area of green space is to the city.
Councillor Tom Crone, Leader of the Green Group on Liverpool City Council, was astounded by the quality of the space ‘I doubt I have ever stood anywhere, rural or urban, and experienced such a rich and diverse natural habitat as exists at Allerton Priory. It is absolutely vital that we strain every sinew to protect this land from built development and find ways to open the site up to research and the enjoyment of future generations.’
Accompanying Councillor Crone and the group of ecologists and local residents on the visit was Green Councillor Lawrence Brown who expressed the importance of the site in national terms ‘we have a major shortage of grasslands in the UK and it falls to each and every one of us to do our bit to maintain it as such. If this was a major landmark like the Liverpool Waterfront there would be outrage if plans were put forward to destroy it; we need to see the threat of building houses here in these terms’.
James (Ecologist):
“Losing such a large area of open semi natural grassland would be a devastating loss to wildlife in the city.
It deserves to be enjoyed by the people of the city and not destroyed, allowing development on this site would be totally contrary to Liverpool City Council’s Local Plan which purports to protect the green wedge and sites of of significant wildlife value.”
Carlee (Ecologist):
“Semi natural grassland is a priority habitat for conservation listed under the North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan. There is less than 2% of this habitat in the city, which makes this site even more important for biodiversity. The site supports over 14 species of butterflies, 50 species of birds and other protected wildlife. It would be an ecological crime to allow a development at the priory and must be conserved.”