Homes for £1 – National Press Quotes
After the Echo broke the ‘homes for £1’ story Tuesday, news wire service Mercury Press interviewed me and the comments were syndicated to national and international outlets.
UPDATE Oct 2015: The creative renovation of these streets led by residents and supported by Steinbeck Studio and architects Assemble has been shortlisted for the Turner Art Prize.
This is the superb catalogue associated with the exhibition and workshop, including an essay by us: 15-10-07s Assemble Granby Turner Prize Workshop Catalogue
Here’s an extract from the Daily Mail – please do comment:
With L8 residents and supporters on blockade of Kingsley Road demolition site, summer 2011
Jonathan Brown, spokesman for the Merseyside Civic Society, called the move a ‘true testament to the resilience of people in Granby’.
He said: ‘This is what we have been pushing for for years and it’s fantastic to see it come to fruition.
‘The houses are an asset for the community and the public need them.
‘It gives the opportunity for young, local people to learn skills in regeneration and construction and give something back to the area.
‘I think this is a prime example of the council biting off more than they can chew.
‘This development is a true testament to the resilience of the people in Granby who have seen promises come and go.
‘We fought against Prescott’s scheme and it’s great to have won all these years later.
‘Local people have been let down over and over again for decades.
‘I hope this now rolls out to other areas of the city in desperate need of regeneration.
Homes in the ‘Granby Triangle’ area of Kensington in Liverpool were part of former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s (above) Pathfinder plan to raze thousands of homes across the country.
Houses bought for as much as £70,000 each under John Prescott’s regeneration Pathfinder scheme are now to be sold off for just £1 each.
Liverpool City Council is to offer the Victorian terraced homes in the ‘Granby Triangle’ area of Kensington at the rock-bottom price to DIY enthusiasts.
Each sale will include a clause for the purchasers to demonstrate they can bring the houses back up to scratch using ‘construction skills’.
Homes in the Granby Triangle were part of former Deputy Prime Minister Prescott’s plan, launched in 2003, to raze thousands of homes across the country.
An estimated £2.2billion was blown on buying and demolishing homes – but far fewer new homes were built for the displaced occupants and others on waiting lists.
Hundreds of homes in the triangle were in line to be demolished in a £25million scheme promoted by the development company Leader1.
But city chiefs pulled out of the deal after the developers failed to meet deadlines for signing the contract last November.
Private landlords will also be able to bid for the tender to refurbish some of the vacant homes which come complete with the freehold.
Liverpool’s Deputy Mayor and Finance Chief Councillor Paul Brant said: ‘This allows people who may be excluded from mortgages but have construction skills to play a part in the regeneration of their communities.
‘We’ve seen that the private sector model has not succeeded so far and, through this way of doing things, if there is any profit it will stay with local people.’
THE FOLLY OF PATHFINDER
Homes in the ‘Granby Triangle’ area of Kensington in Liverpool were part of former Deputy Prime Minister Prescott’s plan – launched in 2003 – to raze thousands of homes across Britain.
An estimated £2.2billion was blown on buying and demolishing homes.
However, far fewer new homes were built for the displaced occupants and others on waiting lists.
The Granby Triangle largely avoided demolition due to the ‘resilience’ of residents who resisted pressure to leave the blighted properties.
Local residents welcomed the idea of bringing the houses back into use.
Granby Triangle householder Theresa MacDermott said: ‘This is a much better scenario.
‘Obviously there were delays because of the situation with Leader1, and although there’s some uncertainty at the moment it’s positive.’
As part of the initial pilot scheme, 20 houses will be offered for sale to residents for £1 in the Granby area and Arnside Road in Kensington.
In the ‘Webster Triangle’ in Picton, the council will either partner up with housing associations or ‘dispose of the properties to private landlords’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2281054/Houses-bought-70-000-John-Prescotts-regeneration-Pathfinder-scheme-sold-just-1-each.html#ixzz2LpHP3Cgw