Emerging on the far side of the Liverpool Road Bridge, we suddenly encounter this large derelict area, which was once the site of Liverpool Road railway station. Subsequently, until about five years ago, it served as the premises of Travis Perkins builder's merchants.
The course of the old railway runs along the far side of the white fence.
As previously mentioned, a large housing project, Dukes Manor, is approaching completion just across Liverpool Road. Applications from the developers for the old builder's yard to be also utilised for new houses had been turned down, the council apparently insisting that the area should be retained for commercial or light industrial purposes.
When an application was made in early 1999 for a gymnasium and rehabilitation clinic on the site- which would create 150+ jobs- it was promptly opposed by the city council who, it turned out, had their own ambitions for the place, seemingly not unconnected with the neighbouring derelict railway line- as we shall learn in much greater detail on the next page.
It would seem likely that the families in the new homes just across the road would benefit greatly from the presence of a peaceful car-free cycletrack and footpath right on their doorsteps, providing them with an alternative to the increasingly-congested and polluted Liverpool Road- especially considering that there is no other green open space at all in the vicinity.
It must be added, however, that these new residents actually voted against having a large play area included within their housing scheme..
