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Housing boost
for Granby, Kensington and Picton
NEW plans have been put
forward to bring 179 homes back into use in the Kensington, Granby
and Picton areas of Liverpool. The Mayor's Cabinet will be asked to
approve proposals on Friday, 22 February 2013, to breathe new life
into the vacant properties in Granby Four Streets, Arnside Road and
Webster Triangle East, over the next 3 years.
The initiatives include a pilot 'Homesteading' scheme,
which would see up to 20 properties being given to local people for
£1. Residents would be expected to refurbish properties to Decent
Home Standard, which means they must be in a reasonable state of
repair, be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities.
They would also be required to live in the property for 5 years and
not sub-let it within that time.
The Homesteading scheme will also see the development of an
'Own Place' model, which will see the Council transferring
vacant properties to The Riverside Group, who will refurbish them
and offer them for sale at 25% less than market value. The model has
already proved to be a success in other parts of the City, with The
Riverside Group bringing 250 properties back into use. Under
the plans, small groups of properties may also be sold to private
landlords. Those who bid for the properties will need to commit to
refurbishing them to Decent Homes Standard, and will also be
required to be a member of the Council's CLASS accreditation scheme
for landlords.
The plans; which aim to drive up the quality of housing and build
stronger, more sustainable neighbourhoods; replace a contract offer
made to developer Leader1 Liverpool to deliver housing regeneration
in the 3 areas, which was withdrawn last year.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann
O'Byrne, said:- "We think that these plans provide a really
good foundation for the future of housing in Granby, Kensington and
Picton. We want to find innovative ways of bringing properties back
into use and attracting people back into our neighbourhoods; whether
that's through offering homes for £1, or working with Registered
Providers to refurbish homes and selling them at discounted prices.
Ultimately, it's about driving forward housing renewal, investing in
the future of our communities and doing everything we can to provide
good quality, affordable housing for the people who need it most. We
have been working closely with the local community over the best way
forward for these areas, and I hope that these new proposals will
give them certainty that the housing renewal they have waited for,
for so long, remains a priority for us."
The areas covered by the proposals consist mainly of vacant
Victorian terraced properties. They are:-
► Granby, Four Streets in the Granby Renewal Area (City Centre South
Zone) - The area, in close proximity to the City centre, is
dominated by a mix of large Victorian houses and pre-1919 terraces
► Webster Triangle East in the Picton Renewal Area (Wavertree Zone)
- Close to the City centre and Liverpool Women's Hospital, the area
features a majority of pre-1919 terraces.
► Arnside Road in the Kensington Renewal Area (Wavertree Zone) - The
area, close to the City centre, Wavertree Technology Park, Liverpool
University and Royal Liverpool Hospital, is again characterised by
high density, pre-1919 terraces.
Residents who are interested in the 'homes for £1'
scheme should contact the City Council's housing and development
team on:- 0151 233 2148 for more information.
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Wisdom in the
Mountains says Walking Weatherman
AS weather experts predict
cold weather ahead and with half-term and Easter holidays
approaching, National Park Wardens, along with BBC Wales' weatherman
Derek Brockway are encouraging walkers to prepare themselves before
venturing into the mountains.
Careful planning is needed before every visit to Snowdonia's
mountains and checking the mountain weather forecast for the current
ground conditions, before setting off, is essential. As an
experienced walker himself, Derek Brockway explained why we need to
take the weather forecast seriously during the next few weeks.
"The snow on the mountains is very different to the snow we see in
our gardens. When it's frozen hard, it is very slippery, making
footpaths which are graded as moderate in the summer extremely
treacherous. It's also very important to wrap up warmly.
Temperatures in the mountains can be much lower than temperatures
experienced on lower ground, with recent forecasts indicating wind
chill temperatures as low as -15°C."
On behalf of the MountainSafe partnership, National Park Warden
Gruff Owen added:- "Because of the current conditions in the
mountains, visitors to the summits will need to carry an ice axe,
crampons and more importantly, know how to use them. The days are
still very short at this time of year, especially in the mountains,
so it's wise to start early and aim to be back down by 17:00 at the
latest. I carry a torch and spare batteries with me throughout the
year, but during the winter they're essential. However, the best
piece of equipment we carry with us sits on our shoulders. When we
prepare well, understand our limitations and know when to turn back
we're much more likely to enjoy ourselves."
For more details on the weather forecasts, visit:-
bbc.co.uk/weather, or see
metoffice.gov.uk for detailed
information about the weather in Snowdonia. @eryridiogel and @safesnowodnia
also tweet weather information, changing ground conditions on the
mountains, as well as general advice on mountaineering and
highlighting good practice of mountaineering.
GMB
CONGRATULATES 86 LOCAL COUNCILS PLANNING TO RAISE COUNCIL TAX TO
PROTECT FRONT LINE SERVICES
"THE UK Government is
slashing its budgets and it's high time Councils said:-
'enough is enough' and it is totally
disingenuous if government ministers criticise Councils trying to
protect local communities..." says GMB. GMB, the union
for public services, commented on the report in Local Government
Chronicle that 86 Councils plan to defy the government Council tax
freeze. See notes to editors for table published this week.
Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary for Public Services said:-
"The UK Government has slashed Council budgets and services and
jobs and it's high time Councils said:-
'enough is enough'. Front line Council services have been
pared to the bone and can't be cut any more. It will be totally
disingenuous if government ministers criticise Councils who are
trying to protect their local communities. Councils also need to do
the right thing by their staff; after a 3 year pay freeze I hope
that at a national negotiating meeting on Thursday, 21 February
2013, we will see an offer to begin rebuilding local authority pay." |
