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Now the grade II listed Liverpool site is being marketed by owner Gateway Properties.
But Tuebrook councillor Steve Radford today said he was fed up with a lack of action and wanted to set the wheels in motion which could lead to compulsory purchase of the building.
He said: “We’ve had three or four planning applications in the past and we’re frustrated.
“Unless the council moves rapidly towards a CPO I believe the building will be lost.”
Cllr Berni Turner, the city’s executive member for the environment, met Cllr Radford and Newsham Park campaigners this week.
She said: “We’ve now got a clearly defined strategy to move forward, and the owners need to understand we’re not prepared to let this building sit and rot – we’ll take whatever steps necessary to bring it back to life.”
In a separate twist, council conservation chiefs said they were planning to write to Gateway demanding a series of repairs to the site.
If the company fails to comply, a formal repairs notice will be served which could also pave the way to a CPO.
Last year Gateway Properties apologised at a Stop the Rot forum for the lack of action. Now it is marketing the Orphan Drive building.
But one property company, Manchester-based Opal Property Group, which has looked at the site, says the scale of renovation would be “exceedingly difficult without sig-nificant public funding.”
Previous plans have included building flats on the site to make the restoration financially viable.
A council spokesman said: “We anticipate any plan would require enabling development in the grounds to make it financially viable.”
catherinejones@liverpoolecho.co.uk
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