Belle Vale, Liverpool

Coordinates: 53°23′42″N 2°51′40″W / 53.395°N 2.861°W / 53.395; -2.861

Belle Vale
Belle Vale  Belle Vale shown within Merseyside
OS grid reference	SJ337927
Metropolitan borough	Liverpool
Metropolitan county	Merseyside
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LIVERPOOL
Postcode district	L25
Dialling code	0151
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Liverpool Garston
List of places: UK • England • Merseyside

Sign indicating Belle Vale from Childwall

Belle Vale is a district of south-east Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward that covers both Belle Vale and Netherley.

Description

Belle Vale area shares borders with Huyton, Netherley, Gateacre and Childwall. The main road in Belle Vale is Childwall Valley Road (B5178) running from Childwall through to Netherley. The old North Liverpool Extension Line (loop line) at the back of Hartsbourne Avenue divides Belle Vale and Gateacre.

Belle Vale District Centre has a number of amenities including a fire station, police station, health centre, large shopping centre,^[1][2] and also Belle Vale Park. The Belle Vale Junior football league now plays in nearby Netherley.

As a small district, it is often misrepresented as Childwall or Gateacre, which are larger and more affluent neighbouring suburbs. The Belle Vale area is also divided with different housing estates having their own local names, such as Hartsbourne, Lee Park and Naylorsfield, adding to the confusion.

Liverpool City Council themselves have left the Belle Vale area in somewhat of a quandary, as from 2005 onwards signs to identify the districts in the city were put up on Childwall Valley Road saying Gateacre (towards the Shopping centre and Netherley) and Childwall (towards Childwall) and none saying Belle Vale. Despite Belle Vale's amenities and established centres bearing its name, the city council, in their wisdom, refuse to acknowledge the Belle Vale area's existence with local signs.

The postcode for Belle Vale is L25, which is also the postcode for nearby Woolton.

History

Over one-thousand prefabricated homes were erected in Belle Vale between the years 1945-1947 in order to provide affordable rented accommodation for people whose homes were destroyed in bombing raids on the city during World War II, making it one of the largest Prefab communities in the country.^[3]

Its most famous ex-resident is Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain. Leahy is also President of the Belle Vale Prefab Project.^[4]

Education

Schools in Belle Vale include Childwall Valley Primary School, Belle Vale Community Primary School, Our Lady of The Assumption Primary School and Belle Vale Sure Start.

Gateacre Community Comprehensive School will relocate onto part of the Reggie Smith Playing Fields in Belle Vale, with the project costing £35 million. The buildings' design has been finalised, with construction planned to be completed by September 2010.^[5] The football playing fields have moved to a new soccer centre on open land at nearby Caldway Drive, Netherley.^{[citation needed]}

Transport

Belle Vale has its own mini bus interchange next to the shopping centre on Hedgefield Road connecting to among other areas, Huyton and St Helens eastbound and Woolton and Speke southbound with the main (Liverpool) city centre route on Childwall Valley Road.

References

External links

• Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 25 (Belle Vale)
• Liverpool City Council: Ward Profile
• Lee Valley Library
• Port Cities Illustrated History of Belle Vale
• Childwall Valley Road E Chambre Hardman Archive