Placefirst will build 52 new homes in the well-known Liverpool neighbourhood comprising one, two, three and four-bedroom houses. Tony McDonough reports
Build-to-rent developer Placefirst has secured planning consent to build 52 new homes across Liverpool’s Welsh Streets.
The £8m regeneration project is part of a wider plan by Placefirst to breathe new life into the well-known area of Victorian terraced housing and the firm will build a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses.
It will build 39 on vacant infill sites on Voelas Street and Wynnstay Street, with the remaining 13 homes located on South Street, a key local thoroughfare currently characterised by blank gable walls.
The proposals presented at the planning committee were subject to two planning consultation events prior to and during the planning application, and several changes have been implemented in response to comments received.
James Litherland, planning an development manager at Placefirst, said: “Given the well documented and fractious planning history of the Welsh Streets, we are delighted with the approval for the new homes.
“Through comprehensive masterplanning and remodelling of the Victorian terraces, Placefirst is creating a unique residential neighbourhood in Liverpool and demonstrating the inherent flexibility of terraced housing.
“Approval of the new-build homes will ‘complete the circle’ of our original masterplan and ensure the Welsh Streets offers a diversity of homes to meet families’ diverse needs.”
The new homes have been designed to create a modern, complementary contrast with the Victorian terraces, and use a palette of materials chosen to ensure a consistent streetscape design across the wider Welsh Streets.
Cllr Lynnie Hinnigan, deputy mayor of Liverpool and cabinet member for housing, said: “The regeneration of the Welsh Streets community is one of the city’s great success stories of the past decade and required a huge amount of partnership working to transform a collapsed scheme into an award-winning development.
“It will be fantastic to see a mix of housing being developed in the area with new, modern, striking units complementing the homes that Placefirst have brought back into use, as well as the work that Plus Dane are carrying out on their stock.”