City's baby hospice to move to £3.5m new home

A planning application for the new base has been approved

A new £3.5m home for Liverpool’s specialist baby hospice has been given the green light by the city council.

Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice launched an appeal calling on its supporters, businesses and individuals within the community to help raise vital funds to develop a new headquarters close to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

The lease on its existing base on Yew Tree Lane in West Derby will expire in 2025.

A planning application for the former bowling green and Victorian villa at Hayman’s Green has now been approved, allowing the relocation to move to the next step.

A computerised image of how the new headquarters would look

Since 1995, Zoe’s Place has been the only hospice for babies and children aged up to 5 with life-limiting and complex conditions.

The existing hospice can currently accommodate up to four children, with the new single-storey development able to support six young people and their families.

Agent Katie Dickinson told the council planning committee the current location was “no longer fit for purpose” and Haymans Green met all the criteria for a new hospice.

She said the location was “vital”, owing to the relationship with the nearby children’s hospital.

New facilities

The development will feature an indoor play area with doors which open out onto an outdoor play area while a change of use of the existing building would lead to the ground floor being partially converted into office space for fund-raising.

While the fund-raising team would be located within the new facility, existing fundraising events are usually held away from the existing hospice.

It is expected there would be an opening ceremony and the hospice usually hosts a summer fair which may be held within the grounds.