A CAMPAIGN to save the “last green space” in Rock Ferry is gathering speed after a meeting with Birkenhead MP Frank Field saw an alternative plan drawn up.

Close to 2,500 people have signed a petition calling for town hall bosses to rethink their plans to bulldoze Rock Ferry High School and sell of the associated fields.

Wirral Council is in the process of seeking Government permission to dispose of the school buildings, which it says are "surplus to educational requirements" and the playing fields on Ravenswood Avenue.

But those living near to the site have called for the building to be saved, claiming the adjoining fields are a vital community asset.

At a meeting last week, more than 100 people turned up to have their say on the plans, along with Mr Field and Rock Ferry councillors Chris Meaden, Moira McLaughlin and Bill Davies.

Mr Field told the Globe: “It was a lively meeting and we set up the basics of a residents association which will have a key role in determining the future of the site.

“We made some agreements about how we would like the site to be used, including to pull down the building that’s there now and on that imprint, build really beautiful retirement village bungalows, keep the woods and the rest of the site largely as it is.”

Those attending the meeting on February 13 also passed a unanimous decision requesting Lovells to release the land at Five Ways and around Church Road in Tranmere for others to develop.

Cllr Chris Meaden is expected to seek council support for other develops to be invited onto the sites.

Speaking to the Globe today, Cllr Meaden, said: "We value the green space and we have listened to what the residents have got to say and we look forward to the next meeting and taking this forward.

"Nothing has been decided yet - we're still in the consultation period with residents."

Wirral Globe:
Campaigners Sue Dodd and Alison Meehan at the former Rock Ferry High School site. Picture: Paul Heaps.

Cllr McLaughlin added: "There was overwhelming support for keeping the wood land and preserving the open space which we have supported.

"We are also supporting a high quality development on the land of the former school excluding the listed building of course - that's what we are pushing for, that's what came out of the meeting.

"We are working with residents and I resent any suggestion that we are not doing naything or that we have got another agenda other than what people are telling us they want."

Alison Meehan, who set up the petition alongside neighbour Sue Dodd, previously told the Globe:  "This is the last green space in Rock Ferry. It’s an amenity the local residents have used historically for 100 years.

“It’s an area where people enjoy walking their dogs, local football teams play matches on there and the woodland boasts a number of species that people enjoy watching including tawny owls, woodpeckers and hedgehogs.”

Rock Ferry High School closed its doors four years ago when it merged with Park High to form University Academy of Birkenhead.

The oldest part of the school, Ravenswood House – which was built in 1874 – is Grade II listed.

Wirral Council previously said £450,000 had been set aside for the demolition of Rock Ferry High, with the land suitable for housing.

Money from the sale of the land is expected to be used for education and sport projects across Wirral.

A third meeting is expected to take place next month.

To sign the petition, click here, or to view the campaign group's Facebook page, click here.