Chants of “cherish the terrace” filled Liverpool city centre this evening as campaigners made their message loud and clear to council bosses over the withdrawal from a community housing project.
Dozens of activists from Anfield gathered outside Liverpool Town Hall ahead of this evening’s cabinet meeting to voice their opposition to a move to no longer progress with a scheme on Oakfield Road.
For some years now, the council has been working with the Homebaked Community Land Trust on plans to refurbish nine derelict properties, just a stone’s throw from Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium.
But now that deal has fallen apart and sparked a major row – with the council claiming the plans are not viable and Homebaked accusing the local authority of “pulling the rug out from under their feet”.
As cabinet members filed into the Town Hall, activists chanted “cherish the terrace” and “save our terrace”. Tom Murphy, from Homebaked CLT, told the LDRS how community members wanted the authority to go through the due diligence process on the properties.
Placards were held aloft calling on the council to “work with us, not against us” as dozens braved the cold to lobby councillors.
Homebaked Community Land Trust was formed by a group of residents that have been working together since 2012 to try to shape the area of North Liverpool where they live through community ownership.
Mr Murphy said, “The council have left us in a really, really difficult situation. They have left us no time, no room, and no other option than to stand up, come out publicly and say we will not stand for this behaviour.
“We have spent years, absolute years, hundreds of thousands of pounds. Turning their back on community-owned homes in the community of Anfield is disgusting and we will not stand for it.
“We’re gathering tonight to urge the cabinet members who are making decisions about our community.”
Having stopped the planned demolition of the houses, the community trust, working in collaboration with developers Your Housing Group, secured planning permission in 2019 as well as additional funding, before running into challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.
The council said it had worked for a number of years to try to support Homebaked CLT and its plans for Oakfield Terrace, but said it became clear earlier this year that the project was facing huge challenges – particularly when Your Housing Group withdrew its involvement.
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