STRAWBERRY FILED GATES INMORTALISED BY THE BEATLES BACK HOME FOREVER

 Iconic entrance to return as part of training school scheme on site

The historic Strawberry Field gates immortalised by the Beatles hit will be returned to take pride of place on their original site.

The gates will become a permanent visitor attraction as part of a scheme to create a training centre for young people with learning difficulties.

The Beaconsfield Road site, which used to house a Victorian children’s home, will include a catering and hospitality school as well as a heritage exhibition focusing on the connections with the Beatles.

John Lennon wrote Strawberry Fields Forever in 1966 while working on a film in Spain, reminiscing about his childhood when he used to climb over the wall and play in the children’s home grounds.

His Aunt Mimi, with whom he lived, had her house a few hundred yards away in Menlove Avenue.

The planning committee heard from Salvation Army spokesman Thomas Williams, who said ideas for what to do with the site had differed, since a special school there closed in 2005.

He added: “We aim to create a training school which will improve the skills of young people with learning difficulties.

“There is also the heritage centre which will explain the history of the Salvation Army site and the John Lennon references.

“There will be a cafe that will be part of the heritage exhibit which will provide work experience for the young people and an opportunity for the local community to get involved in activities.”

Architects for the plans said the gates “will be brought back to and be accessible to the public”.

They have been in storage for some time because they were regularly covered with graffiti which largely took the form of people writing their names on them when they came on Beatles pilgrimages.

Planning officers said the plans were “a good addition to the city with the cultural and educational uses” and the proposals were approved by the committee.