Site of baby hospice 'in process of being sold'

Bosses at a baby hospice that is facing closure have said its current home is "not fit for purpose" and that it cannot stay there.

Families using Zoe's Place in West Derby, Liverpool, were told it would shut its doors by the end of the year after plans to move to a new purpose-built hospice fell through.

Landlord The Institute of The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy said it had offered to let Zoe's Place remain at the site until next summer.

It added its "ageing community" and "greatly reduced number of sisters" meant it had to leave the Yew Tree Lane site.

Zoe's Place fundraising manager Matt Meaney told the BBC the only way the service could be saved was if suitable premises with a long-term future were found soon.

"It does feel like we are looking for something pretty close to a miracle," he said.

Mr Meaney said the costs of building a new facility had ballooned from an estimated £3.5m to in excess of £5m, due in part to inflation.

He said previously unexpected costs had also become clear as the design was refined and researched.

However Mr Meaney said time and the lack of available premises was a bigger problem than money.

"We have simply run out of time," he said.

Mr Meaney said it would take about 13 to 14 months to complete the project, whereas the lease on its current site only extends until June 2025.

When asked whether the lease could be extended, he said: "That's not an option that's available to us at the moment."

He said while "conversations" with landlords had taken place the land "is currently in the process of being sold".

Zoe's Place leases its Liverpool building from Catholic order the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy.

In a statement to the BBC, the Institute's Sister Bernadette said it had been explained to Zoe's Place that the lease was due to end in June 2024 and that the Sisters would also be leaving the site.

She said the lease was extended until summer 2025, and that no rent had been asked for since 2023.

"In May this year the Institute was approached by Zoe's Place about the possibility of extending the lease for a further period beyond the end of June 2025, but we advised them that, unfortunately, this was not possible due to the potential sale of the site, which had been planned for some time," she said.

Mr Meaney said extending the lease would not have provided a solution to problems with its current home, which has been described as no longer "fit for purpose".

Speaking of the devastating impact of the closure, he said: "It's a cliché but words really can't describe it.

"Nobody ever expected this to be something that they would have to do, where they would have to tell staff they haven't got jobs in the future potentially, or even worse, even more devastating, tell families the support we provide is no longer available to them."

Lady Anne Dodd, the widow of Liverpool comedian Sir Ken Dodd, has said she wanted to help via the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation.

"It's a job they all love, they're not paid a fortune to do it, it's one of those jobs where it's love they're giving, it's themselves they're giving, and just desperately sad," she said.

However she said the search for a new premises was more important than money, and urged anyone who may know of a suitable building to come forward.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the trustees of Zoe's Place blamed increased costs but also said: "The time taken to get planning permission has left insufficient time to construct the building."

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Liam Robinson, told the BBC it had "worked closely" with the charity and the planning process had been dealt with in a six month window - considered "best practice" in local government.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected] and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.