Liverpool City Council have issued a new plan for the Welsh Streets area.<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
Liverpool City Council news (Liverpool Express) writes:
\n<\/u>A new plan which could lead to the regeneration of the Welsh Streets has been unveiled by Liverpool City Council.<\/p>\n
The council\u2019s Cabinet is being asked to approve plans to enter a six month exclusivity agreement with development company\u00a0PlaceFirst, during which time they will carry out surveys and investigations before developing a new masterplan and submitting a planning application.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The firm is a specialist development company with a proven track record in converting 19th century housing into high quality homes that meet modern standards whilst retaining their original character and layout.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It is hoped a significant proportion of the 300 homes can be refurbished, with some knocked \u2018three in to two\u2019 to make them larger and appeal to families.\u00a0 Those in a really poor condition and too costly to repair will be demolished with the possibility of creating community open space and new properties in their place.<\/p>\n The move follows a decision in January 2015 by the then Secretary of State Eric Pickles to overturn his independent planning inspector\u2019s approval for a scheme which would have seen 271 homes be replaced by 154 new houses, along with 37 refurbished terraced properties.<\/p>\n Mr Pickles also scrapped long standing planning and regeneration guidance which supported the need for large scale demolition, and replaced it with an approach that favours retention and refurbishment of older stock.<\/p>\n Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: \u2018All we have ever done is try to do what the residents have told us and it\u2019s important to remember 80 percent of them backed the original plans for this area. As a result of the prevarication over this scheme from different outside interest groups we have lost a \u00a313 million Government grant.\u00a0 However, given that the Government has changed the planning rules we need to find a way forward in order to get this area sorted out as soon as possible and I am pleased we have been able to find a partner that is willing to look into taking on the Welsh Streets.\u00a0 The residents of the Welsh Streets have been in limbo for years after the Coalition Government axed the Housing Market Renewal Initiative. To add insult to injury, Eric Pickles then overturned his own planning inspector\u2019s decision on a subsequent scheme despite it being supported by the vast majority of the local community.<\/p>\n \u2018PlaceFirst have a great track record in regenerating old houses and I know they are genuinely excited about what they can do in the Welsh Streets. I want them to crack on with the detailed survey as quickly as possible.\u00a0 We\u2019ve demonstrated with the regeneration of Anfield and our Homes for a Pound scheme that we are leading the way in finding imaginative ways of retaining properties where it is viable to do so.\u2019<\/p>\n Councillor Frank Hont, Cabinet member for housing, said: \u2018We took some of the residents to Accrington to see some of the other projects that Place First are working on and the feedback we had from them was really positive.\u00a0 They are really focused on creating a new community for the area which has a long term future and I am really confident that we can come up with a scheme that delivers the best of the old and the new.\u00a0 I would like to thank residents for their patience, resilience and support over the last few years and sticking with the area when some of them are in poor health as a result of the conditions they are living in.\u2019<\/p>\n David Smith-Milne, Managing Director and founder of PlaceFirst said \u2018PlaceFirst is really excited about this project. The Welsh Streets are on the doorstep of one of Europe\u2019s most exciting and culturally distinctive cities. They are also walking distance from two of England\u2019s best public parks, and have the benefit of highly rated local schools within a short walk.\u00a0 Liverpool, like everywhere else, really needs good quality and expertly managed homes for private rent. Remodelling these Victorian properties creates an opportunity to deliver some of the most distinctive and exciting family rental homes in the city.\u00a0 We are looking forward to working alongside Liverpool City Council and local residents groups to develop and deliver this project\u2019.<\/p>\n Irene Milson, Chair of the Welsh Streets Community Association, said: \u2018This community has been waiting a long time for new homes and it is extremely frustrating that the previous scheme wasn\u2019t approved by the Government\u00a0 We await with interest the details of this new set of proposals and will make our decision based on progress over the next few months.\u2019<\/p>\n The report will be considered by the Cabinet on Friday 5 February<\/p>\n View the press release<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Liverpool City Council have issued a new plan for the Welsh Streets area.\u00a0 Liverpool City Council news (Liverpool Express) writes: A new plan which could lead to the regeneration of the Welsh Streets has been unveiled by Liverpool City Council. … Continue reading