A “lack of certainty” around the viability of a community-led housing scheme has led to a series of properties being put forward to be sold on the open market by Liverpool Council.
Dozens of activists from Anfield gathered outside Liverpool Town Hall to voice their opposition to a move to no longer progress with a community scheme on Oakfield Road.
The city council has agreed to press on with placing nine vacant properties in north Liverpool on the open market which had initially been earmarked to be delivered through a scheme led by Homebaked Community Land Trust (CLT).
For a number of years, the local authority had worked with the trust to bring a series of homes back to life through a community-ownership scheme.
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.
However, the homes will now go out onto the open market after city leaders said there was uncertainty around how the community-led project could be delivered amid the housing crisis engulfing Liverpool.
Ahead of a crunch meeting on the plans, 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.
Cllr Lena Simic, Anfield ward member, told the cabinet as it gathered on Tuesday evening she was “perplexed” by the “rash decision” and felt she had not been adequately consulted on the move. She added, “These properties have a developer – the community of Anfield and Everton.”
Cllr Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy, set out the authority’s position amid a chorus of chants to “save our terrace” that soundtracked the lead-up to a cabinet meeting.
He said, “Nobody wants to be in the position we’re in today. I’d like to offer my thanks to Homebaked Community Land Trust. I’m conscious of the work they have done for many years and will continue to do.
“The decision not to proceed was taken a few weeks ago. It was taken because of concerns over the certainty of getting to market as originally intended.” Cllr Small said there was “too much uncertainty” for the council to proceed with the original scheme.
He added, “We desperately need to bring 10,000 empty homes back into use and this is a small step towards that. We believe by including this in the small sites, we can bring them back into use as soon as possible.”
In an earlier statement, Cllr Small said Homebaked CLT were welcome to submit a bid for the houses for which they would need to demonstrate “that they have a deliverable scheme.”
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