Plans for ‘ghost town’ ready after years of delays

Aug 6 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

A £100M plan to save a Liverpool ‘ghost town’ is now finally ready to go out to public consultation.

Heavily-delayed plans for the housing development in Stonebridge Cross in Croxteth have now been revised and are ready to be made public.

However, while Liverpool Land Development Company (LLDC) said it had never given up on Stonebridge Cross, the long-awaited scheme to transform the derelict Gillmoss Estate, local councillors are still concerned that dispersed residents, who desperately want homes in their locality, are still unable to access housing on this development.

Last year, more than four years of work seemed to have collapsed when previous developers Tesco and David McLean Homes were dumped by LLDC.

The delayed scheme, unveiled in spring 2002, has caused misery for the handful of residents left behind in the boarded-up estate.

However, at a briefing meeting last week, plans were produced for the build for sale of 320 houses and 150 apartments.

The housing mix is for 106 detached, 149 semi-detached and 65 town houses. There will be an additional 32 for rent for Cobalt Housing, plus three bungalows.

Cllr Rose Bailey, Labour councillor for Croxteth ward said: “There have been so many let-downs with regards to this site.

“A community was moved out to make way for the Tesco Extra plus additional retail units, which never happened and morale in the community is at an all-time low.

“The site is an environmental mess and plans for this site have been altered several times.

“As a local councillor I find it disheartening to see a strong community devastated and dispersed, and many young people who want homes in their locality close to family links unable to access housing on this development.”

Only 12 homes are now currently occupied on what has now become derelict wasteland in preparation fort the new building programme.

Croxteth Lib Dem councillor Phil Moffatt said “I think this development will be a positive step forward for our area.

“Ultimately, the decision always has and always will remain with those who live here. I have suggested to the officers that they should proceed to consult the residents of the ward with immediate effect.

“This site coupled with the Lovell Development on Stonebridge Lane, allows us to see that people are really prepared to invest heavily in Croxteth again.”

The plans had taken into consideration the residents concerns regarding apartment accommodation and had reduced the number of apartments from 351 to 202 in this latest draft.

Independent Croxteth councillor Nadia Stewart added: “We were able to scrutinise the plans in detail and the drawings really do look promising for our area.”

carolineinnes