Last resident in Ringo’s street gets ready to leave

Jul 13 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

SHE lived in a two-up, two down terraced cottage in inner city Liverpool in a street where Ringo Starr spent his early days.

But the flagstone pavements and tiny backyard were no barrier to Sandra Graham’s love of gardening.

She transformed her tiny yard into her own Garden of Eden and, as neighbours left the street one by one, Sandra decided the bleak, empty street needed some colour.

Soon, though, she will be joining her old neighbours in a brand new house around the corner, the latest to exit the so-called Welsh Streets of Liverpool in the name of housing regeneration.

Hundreds of homes in the com-munity sandwiched between Princes Park and Dingle are to be bulldozed as part of the New Heart-lands Housing Regeneration programme.

The plight of the Welsh Streets generated international interest, partly because of Ringo Starr, its most famous occupant. It also sparked an ongoing campaign to have the houses saved.

Campaigners have renewed their battle after the change in govern-ment leadership, with hopes new Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will have a re-think about clearing thousands of old terraced homes.

Sandra, 62, said: “We campaigned for two years to try and save our homes, but one by one people have left and virtually every house is boarded-up.

“I wanted to stay because it has been my home for 32 years and is a lovely little house. It has been a smashing neighbourhood and very friendly. The kids around here were never any trouble.

“But now I have sold up to the council and I am waiting to move to the new houses around the corner in Cleveland Street. The nice thing is I will be joining five of my old neighbours.

“My house and the rest of Madryn Street is coming down as part of phase two of the clearance plan. I have heard the third phase will not be going ahead, it’s a pity it is too late to save our houses. I will be sad to go and hope to take as many plants with me to my new home where I will have a small garden.”

Cllr Marilyn Fielding, Liverpool City Council’s executive member for Neighbourhoods and Housing, said: “We’re happy to have been able to use Housing Market Renewal funds to help another resident move home and stay in the community.

“I can assure residents our plans for HMR in the Princes Park area are unchanged.

“The small number of residents opposed to regeneration are entitled to approach the Government, but we are confident the wishes of the majority who live in the neighbourhood and support the programme will be upheld.”

Nina Edge, campaigner for the Welsh Streets said: “We desperately need the new Communities Mini-ster to talk to Yvette Cooper, the Housing Minister to tell her enough is enough. What we need is common sense. The problem has changed, so must the solution. Wholesale demolition of half a million homes is not the answer.

“It is clear the Pathfinder demoli-tion machine is being driven by large house building companies that want to maximise profits.”

Ms Edge is backed by Homes Under Threat (HUT), a national net-work of communities under threat of demolition which has welcomed Gordon Brown’s assertion that affordable homes and listening to people would be among his priorities.

HUT spokesperson Sylvia Wilson said: “It does not make sense for the Government to destroy communi-ties when there is a housing shortage.

“Just because a house is a terrace or in need of some investment, it doesn’t mean it can’t be renovated more quickly and more cheaply than destroying communities and having to build new.”

larryneild