So, a massive splash this week on something we’ve pushed for ages – giving away for a £1 tinned up terraces emptied out by the £2.2bn ‘Pathfinder’ demolitions, instead of leaving them to rot.

The national press printed my quotes welcoming the initiative – and urging housing bosses to go much further. 800 people in two days contacted Liverpool Council, desperate to get in and start renovating homes.

Ducie Street, Granby, Liverpool 8. Pic: Share the City

Liverpool council At present, there are 563 emptied out houses in the 3 areas where the scheme is being tried.  179 will be given away, but mainly to landlords.

And 181 in Smithdown’s Webster Triangle – between Tunstall and Webster St – are still scheduled for demolition – though happily that’s now under review.

The facts at present show just 20 of the 179 homes being sold for £1 will go direct to individuals.

Just two days after the Echo broke the story, the council had received 800 calls from people wanting to live in the houses and start’ renovations.  There is huge housing need in Liverpool’s inner city.

Ideally, the land banks built up under the ‘Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder’, which cleared 30,000 homes nationwide, can start to be broken up and returned to the ordinary families and small firms who funded the programme.

If justice is really to prevail, first refusal should go to the residents reluctantly evicted and displaced (of course, some were happy to go).

, while 20 houses will be offered for £1, some 563 in the 3 areas (Arnside, Smithdown and Granby) are empty. The final cost there will be £35m for a net loss of 270 houses. That’s £206k subsidy per new build, and £125k per net loss!

£20m to empty and clear 480 homes 2004 – ??.
£15m to rebuild 170 for Plus Dane Group by 2015.
c.40 will now be retained after resident and SAVE resistance.