Campaigners and Tranmere Rovers supporters group to meet in bid to find “common ground” over Ingleborough Road field dispute

Jan 11 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

CAMPAIGNERS and a leading Tranmere Rovers supporters group will meet this week in a bid to resolve a dispute over the club’s plans to build on a World War I memorial field.

Protestors from the Wilfred Owen Story last week launched a poster campaign to spread their “Heroes not Houses” message.

They said they wanted businesses and people living near the field to display the posters to send a powerful message to Wirral Council and Tranmere, which is applying for planning permission for almost 100 homes on the site.

But it sparked a furious response from the club’s fans, with some taking to social networking site Twitter to voice their anger at musician Dean Johnson, who is leading the campaign.

The Tranmere Rovers Trust has now set up a meeting with Mr Johnson in a bid to find “common ground”.

Vice-chairman Mark Bentley said: “We would like to discuss face to face with Mr Johnson the Ingleborough Road proposals and see if there is a common ground we can all agree on.

“We believe that the current situation which is being played out is not beneficial to either side and therefore an amicable meeting seems to be the logical way forward.”

Tranmere acquired the Ingleborough Road site, formerly the school playing field for Birkenhead Institute, in 1994.

It wants to sell off the land to boost club funds by £5m and develop Woodchurch Leisure Centre as a team and community facility.

A World War I memorial plaque on the site in memory of the 88 Institute old boys killed during the conflict would be moved to a “landscaped area” under the plans.