Liverpool City Council’s cabinet approved a report recommending the building of 74 council and ‘affordable’ homes in the Yew Tree ward, in the north of the city. Tony McDonough reports
Senior Liverpool councillors have given the go-ahead for the first council houses to be built in the city in 30 years.
Liverpool pioneered the building of council houses more than 150 years ago and the 20th century saw millions of council homes built across the UK, representing one of the greatest social innovations of the age.
On Friday, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet approved a report recommending the building of 74 homes in the Yew Tree ward, in the north of the city, at a cost of £9m. Funding for the scheme will come from Homes England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
The Denford Road project forms part of a wider council plan to build and retrofit thousands of new homes by 2030 after the Government agreed to waive the debt for the council’s historical housing revenue account.
The project, which gained planning permission in March 2019, will see 20 council homes built and a further 54 homes constructed for “affordable rent”. Affordable is defined as no more than 80% of local market rates. They will be built on land bordered by Denford Road, Ackers Hall Avenue, Dunchurch Road and Murcote Road.
The scheme is intended to be delivered in partnership with Riverside Housing Association, who will create an additional 31 homes on land its owns within the site.
Following cabinet approval, Liverpool City Council will now enter in to a contract with Birkenhead-based regeneration specialist Lovell Partnerships.
Lovell has a longstanding history of successful delivery of high quality affordable and mixed tenure homes in Liverpool. Over the last 20 years its has developed similar schemes in areas such as Kensington and Belle Vale.
The firm led on the design of the Denford Road development and aim to have a start on site in October 2020, with an anticipated completion date of January 2023. The site will accommodate 105 homes overall consisting of for 54 two-bedroom units, 28 three-bedroom units, 4 four-bedroom units, 13 one-bed bungalows and 6 two-bedroom bungalows.
Some of the bungalows are to have bespoke designs and will be ring-fenced for vulnerable tenants with mobility issues and support requirements. Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “I’m excited by this scheme.
“It’s a signal of our intent to create thousands of new homes that meet the needs and aspirations of our residents. The private rented sector in this city is unbalanced and the absence of council homes has left many families exposed to market forces.
“We have a vision for a Liverpool where the council provides quality affordable homes, to buy and to rent, which caters for all manner of families and individuals and provides a sustainable platform for them to move up the housing ladder.”