HUNDREDS of residents attended a meeting to discuss concerns about the proposed transformation of a failed care home into a hostel for asylum seekers.


Blueprints to turn the now vacant Lilycross Care Centre on Wilmere Lane, Widnes, close to the St Helens boundary, into a temporary home for asylum seekers are under consideration after being submitted to Halton Borough Council.


If the proposal is given the go-ahead, the 60-bed care home, which is a short distance to the communities of Sutton Manor and Rainhill, would be transformed into Wilmere House.


A meeting with a planning consultant took place on Sunday at Harefield Water Gardens on Warrington Road, Rainhill.


Residents have launched a petition to object to the plans with a Facebook page launched which has more than 2,000 members.


“We don’t want to come across as prejudiced but we don’t want to see a care home become something that it wasn’t designed for,” said Brian Johnson, from Bold, who attended the meeting.


“It got to be a care home in a green-belt area because it is a care home. Just because the people who run that building can’t run it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a care home. There’s not enough care homes.


“They’re changing the Dream into a country park, the route I go is the lane right to the country park which is going to come past the proposed hostel,” added Brian, 45.


A Rainhill resident added: “We believe that to convert this into an asylum hostel it is an inappropriate location with inappropriate amenities to support it. None of it is racism, the majority have said it’s a totally inappropriate location.


“Obviously there’s a lot of emotive feeling that goes with it. Some are concerned with reduction in house value. Residents from St Helens are concerned because a lot of them have not been consulted and it’s right on the junction between St Helens and Halton and close to the Bold Forest Park and the Dream.”


The plans for the building were met with a mixed reaction from Star readers last week.

Suzanne Savage said: “I consider myself lucky to live in a society that’s not war torn where I am not scared every day. Asylum seekers have to go somewhere. I think it needs remembering that the only thing in life we have no control over is where we are born.”

Plans remain on public consultation.