Apply for a Home for a Pound!
LIVERPOOL City Council has opened
applications for its newly expanded Homes for a Pound Plus scheme.
Following the success of a pilot project involving properties around Granby Four
Streets and Arnside Road, the initiative is to be used to transform empty
terraced homes off Smithdown Road in Picton.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "Our pilot Homes for a Pound scheme
has been hugely popular and is transforming run down properties into beautiful
family homes. We are now in a position where we are expanding the scheme and are
inviting applications from people who meet the criteria and interested in taking
part. This is a really exciting scheme because this part of Picton is already
being transformed through the building of the new Archbishop Blanch High School
and nearby developments such as the new Edge Lane Retail Park and Royal
Liverpool University Hospital. People moving into the area will be an integral
part of it becoming a thriving community again."
The homes targeted as part of the scheme are located in and around Britannia
Avenue, Altcar Avenue, Childwall Avenue, Dorset Avenue, Bird Street, Richardson
Street, Garrick Street, Tunstall Street and Webster Road. To apply, people
need to meet the following criteria:-
► Live or work within the Liverpool City Council
boundary.
► Be in paid employment.
► Be a 1st time buyer.
Additional priority will be given to applicants with dependent children, who
have a good credit history and can demonstrate that they have savings to fund
the renovation of the property.
Successful applicants will be required to:-
► Live in the property for a minimum of 5 years.
► Must refurbish the property to the Decent Homes Standard.
► Must comply with an agreed schedule of works.
To apply, people need to log on to
Liverpool.Gov.UK/HomesForAPound by 31 July 2015 and fill in the
application form.
Queries can be emailed to
development&housing@liverpool.gov.uk - please note that the team
are unable to take telephone enquiries.
The scheme will be split into 5 separate phases based upon condition and
geography in order to manage demand.
The City Council will carry out remedial works on the properties that are in a particularly poor condition to make sure that they are viable for people to work on.
Although preference will be given to applicants who have savings to fund the refurbishments, the Council is looking at a number of options for helping people who do not available capital.
Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann O'Byrne, said:- "This is part of our
commitment to bring into use another 2,000 properties in addition to the 1,000
we have already completed and another 1,000 we are tackling. Driving up the
quality, standard and range of properties in the City is a priority, but we know
that Homes for a Pound is not a panacea for dealing with empty homes. It is 1 of
a range of things we are doing in partnership with housing associations and
developers to make sure that people wanting to live in the City have a choice of
good quality properties to live in, whatever their budget."
Previous applicants have already been re-contacted to establish if they are
still interested in being part of the expanded scheme.
Read this page.
