The historic gates of Strawberry Field in Liverpool, UK, will be returned to their original location to become part of a permanent Beatles visitor attraction and training centre for young people with learning difficulties.

Beaconsfield Road, which previously housed a Victorian-era children’s home, will include the training centre and a permanent exhibition looking at the area’s history and its connection with the Beatles, who immortalised Strawberry Fields in the song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, written in 1966 by John Lennon. As a child, Lennon would regularly visit the site – close to the home he shared with his aunt Mimi – climbing over the gates to play in the grounds of what was then a children's home.

As part of the new plans, the 1970s buildings that were subsequently constructed on the site are to be demolished.

The centre will also include a café and gift shop as part of the heritage exhibit, which will provide work experience for the young people in the training centre. Money generated from the exhibit will go directly to the centre, which is being run by the Salvation Army.

The original gates have been in storage for some time because vandals would regularly graffiti them, largely taking the form of people on Beatles ‘pilgrimages’ writing their name on the gates.

The new pavilion will house a training kitchen, cycle workshop, classrooms, IT suite and activity spaces, to accommodate 40 trainees and around eight staff.

The site was thought to cost around £275,000 (US$442,000, €349,000) for the land, though costs for the full redevelopment have not been revealed. The plans gained unanimous approval from Liverpool City Council, with planning officers calling the plans “a good addition to the city with the cultural and educational uses.”