It will still be Penny Lane

The 90-member Liverpool City Council plans to talk Wednesday about a plan to rename several streets in the English city that were named for notorious slave traders. But Penny Lane won’t be one of them: It’s achieved fame of another sort as the title of a song by the Beatles.

The unassuming suburban avenue was named for James Penny, a wealthy 18th century slave ship owner. Liverpool, the Beatles’ northern English hometown, was once a major hub for the slave trade.

“I don’t think anyone would seriously consider renaming Penny Lane,” said City Council member Barbara Mace, who has been pressing to get rid of names linked to slavery. “My proposal is to rename several of the streets and to replace them with the names of people who have done something positive.”