There beneath the blue suburban skies........

Penny Lane was saved from oblivion this week , amid fury over a Liverpool councillor's plans to rename streets associated with the slave trade.

Penny Lane - most famous for the Beatles song and where my Grandparents lived ( may they rest in peace) - was named after the wealthy slave trader James Penny- was one of 7 streets earmarked for rebranding by Councillor Barbara Mace. She hoped to give them names of people who fought slavery instead.

Beatles fans and historians were outraged , accusing her of trying to whitewash the city's past .

The renaming proposal has caused much angst among those protective of the Beatles' legacy. Phil Coppell, childhood friend of McCartney, said renaming Penny Lane was ludicrous. "Penny Lane has become synonymous with the Beatles and is part of Liverpool's and the UK's proud music heritage," he said. "To rename it would be a travesty."

A Liverpool councillor, Barbara Mace, said the aim was to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, which falls next year.

"It has never been my suggestion that every street be renamed, but some streets are named after slave traders who were deeply involved in this awful activity," she said.

Tarleton Street, Manesty's Lane and Clarence Street would be replaced by names linked to the abolition of slavery such as William Roscoe and William Wilberforce.

The Merseyside Campaign Against Racist Terrorism says the street names should be replaced with names that celebrate successful black people.

Critics see the move as an attempt to whitewash history. The director of the Beatles Story tour, Jerry Goldman, said: "It is a historical fact that Liverpool's fortunes were built on the slave trade. I am sure even the Beatles would have been unaware of its origins. To them it was just a place to hang out."