Wavertree Village Green - the triangular area of land bounded by Childwall Road, Lake Road and Mill Lane - is the only piece of registered Common Land within the City of Liverpool. Its appearance has changed considerably over the years. At one time it was surrounded by iron railings and a few trees, and the Lock-up in the middle was surrounded by low privet hedges.

In the late 1960s/early 1970s the Green was re-modelled: the hedges were removed, the Lock-up's smoke-blackened sandstone was cleaned, new granite setts and York stone paving were laid, and a large number of young trees were planted. Today, the Green has the appearance of a 'copse' rather than the original grassy triangle. The Lock-up which was once its centrepiece - and one of Wavertree's landmarks - is now hardly visible except from close-up or from directly opposite in Childwall Road.

Liverpool City Council, as owners of the Lock-up, have recently paid for the building to be refurbished by specialist contractors. The Wavertree Society, who are entrusted by the City Council to hold the key, have for the past 19 years opened it to the public each September as part of the national Heritage Open Day. But we feel that the Green itself has been neglected, and is now in dire need of a re-vamp to improve its appearance and its usefulness to the people of Wavertree.

In the past, the Green had grass, flowers and seats. However, since the trees grew, much of it has become bare in the summer and muddy in the winter. It is dark and gloomy and the grass struggles to grow. About 4 or 5 of the trees closest to the Lock-up need to be removed, as their branches are physically interfering with the building and also preventing it being seen from the Picton Clock and Childwall Road/Lance Lane directions. Some of the other trees need to be pruned as their canopies are now too dense and are preventing sunlight and rain reaching the ground.

We hope that City Councillors and Council officers will support our proposals for improving the Green. We trust they will agree that, even in these difficult financial times, money deserves to be spent on what is one of Liverpool's oldest and most unusual heritage assets. We have produced a leaflet outlining our proposals, and containing a series of 'then and now' photographs to reinforce our arguments. Copies will be sent to our local Councillors.