A couple have launched a campaign to save a historic Liverpool 8 landmark from being turned into flats, hoping to use the building for a community music project aimed at improving health and wellbeing.
Erected in 1927, the St Patrick's Memorial School building on Park Road in Liverpool 8, opposite the Catholic church of the same name, was once the centre of a thriving community. It housed a school, while other parts of the property contained a dance hall and social club used for courting, dancing and sporting activities.
Children attending the schools, young men playing snooker in the basement, and the legendary weekend dances in the top floor hall were among the many reasons people flocked to the venue.
Building's current condition and ownership
Over the last decade, the building has been sporadically tenanted, with large parts left vacant, disused and in a state of increasing dereliction. The charity that owns and manages the building says it will cost approximately £3m to refurbish the site, and is now looking to sell the property to a housing developer, citing "critical funding issues".
That charity is Riverside Learning and Education Centre, also known as Priority Management Limited (PML), which provides support, guidance and vocational training courses aimed at people who "wish to get back into the world of work". The centre also includes a community food programme, signposting services to financial support, and ICT drop-in sessions for digital inclusion.
A spokesperson for PML told the ECHO the charity wants to retain these services and is looking at options to bring certainty and sustainability. They added: "The charity is indeed selling the site with a view to downsizing and continuing our important work with the proceeds once our obligations have been met."
Campaigners call for community centre
PML's decision to sell to a housing developer has caused concern among local residents and those who have worked in the building, all citing the importance of maintaining a historic, cultural asset for community benefit.
Beth, 59, a volunteer who has used the building for the last 20 years, said: "This place has been so important to so many people as a community centre, including myself, and I think it should be kept that way. There are too many heritage buildings being lost, changed from what they were intended for, and there is still such a big need for this place."
Beth said she understands the charity's situation and the need for new housing, but pointed out that the development of new community spaces is rarely seen and thinks existing ones should be protected. She added: "People come here because they love the building and what it has been used for, and I would like to see that continue."
Liverpool couple Barney Rosenthal, 33, and Heather Nielson, 34, have started a campaign to restore St Patrick's hall and have formulated a plan to bring it back to its former glory. Both had great-grandparents from the Liverpool 8 area, and via their Sun Palace Sound System enterprise, they hope to protect and refurbish the old dance hall.
The petition states: "St. Pat’s is for sale and, if the developer’s planning application is approved, it’s destined to become flats. We have a different dream for St. Pat’s, one which ensures this incredible building can be enjoyed by people young and old for generations to come: Sun Palace Social Club and Studios."
It continues: "It's our goal to see the top floor restored to its former glory and original purpose as a space for music, dancing and events, all powered by our one-of-a-kind heritage RLA Sun Palace Sound System. We also want to see the middle and lower floors repurposed as affordable, rentable studio and practice spaces for local makers, musicians, community groups and organisations. We've got a long road ahead of us if we're to save this building from erasure."
The duo have nominated St. Patrick’s Memorial Hall and School to be recognised as an Asset of Community Value, and are applying to the Architectural Heritage Fund’s "Heritage Revival Fund", which they hope will help pay for a project viability study.
Plan for a community music event space
Barney said: "About five years ago, we built a pretty special sound system that we brought over from America. It's one of a kind and 40 years old. It's from the disco heyday of New York, and we never thought we'd ever find one, but we struck lucky on Facebook Marketplace and somehow bought it and brought it here."
He added: "The hall here has been left empty for the last 30 years, but it's such an amazing place. At the minute some developers are looking at trying to turn it into flats, so we're just looking to spread the word, start a campaign, tell people what's here, tell people what a beautiful space it is, and hopefully we can save it from being lost. We want to set something up that brings people together through music and dancing, something in the day, no alcohol involved and open to all generations, and located in this incredible building."
They both cite the success of Cosmic Slop, a group based in Leeds that successfully campaigned to save its Grade II Listed building and raised funds to buy it from developers.
Heather, who spent a decade in the charity sector working on loneliness initiatives, with people living with dementia, and on intergenerational programmes, said: "I know for myself how beneficial they are for my well-being, especially my mental well-being, and that's one of the things that's really driven us with Sun Palace Sound System."
She added: "We want to try and create avenues for people to be able to enjoy music and dancing, but without the elements that are typically associated with it that are detrimental to people's mental and physical well-being. We've been looking for a home for Sun Palace Sound System, a space that's accessible and St Patrick's is perfect."
She also said: "Too much of Liverpool's heritage has been lost and turned into these privately owned spaces. Maybe if you're lucky, you get to drive past them and witness the beauty from the exterior, but that beauty should be accessible to everyone, and that's what we think with St Pat's. You know, it should be maintained as publicly accessible."
Charity's response and refurbishment cost
The Riverside Learning and Education Centre said it is broadly supportive of the ideas put forward by Heather and Barney, but believes their plans may be too ambitious and not realistic enough.
Addressing the potential sale, the charity said nothing has been agreed, but a spokesperson added: "The sale has been the result of an extended period of challenging funding and cost of living pressures where the charity has fought to retain our offer to local people. Similar to many other charities and voluntary organisations we continue to face critical funding issues. The sale will allow the charity to continue to serve this community into the future."
The spokesperson continued: "The building has been on the market for some years and in that time various prospective purchases including housing associations and Sun Palace have had the opportunity to make their proposals. The most realistic offer has come from a developer who will be required to obtain planning permission. We are not party to their detail plans but we understand there will be space for community use."
They concluded: "The charity would love to be able to support Sun Palace's proposal but find them overly ambitious. The cost of refurbishment is estimated at £3million, something that is not readily obtained in the voluntary sector. There are other empty buildings in the area that are a testament to these challenges."
