In spite of our objections, the City Council's Planning Committee on 3rd February approved the application (ref. 08F/3079) to demolish the red-brick Victorian building known as St Gregory's House, Halewood Road, and replace it with a four-storey flat-roofed block of 14 sheltered flats. Other objectors to the proposal included our local Councillors Barbara Mace and Barbara Collinge, and Florence Gersten of the Save Our City Campaign.

Councillor Collinge is now a member of the Planning Committee, which means that she cannot normally speak freely about planning applications in advance of the decision, but at this meeting she 'declared an interest' as a Ward Councillor and spoke against the plan in that capacity, arguing that there are already too many empty flats in Gateacre.

Our own objection was based largely on the architectural merits of the existing building, and the inappropriateness of its proposed replacement, but these arguments were dismissed by the Planning Manager (who recommended approval of the application) on the grounds that the site is outside the Gateacre Village Conservation Area and the existing building is not Listed.