Originally Posted by
Peter McGurk
I suspect I know the one(s) you mean. It's in a really great spot but would cost an arm and a leg to fix up but if you haven't got the money what can you do? Council can't buy it off you (they don't have the money to buy it or redevelop it). No one else can force you to sell it and you can't force people to buy it...
Even if you could, what then? Nothing's changed. If it's the one I think it is, I can see how the rents achievable wouldn't pay for it ie., it's
not viable. It's barely standing. I could be wrong and I'd like to do it myself but...
The area is a bit of a wasteland (on one side), so it would be a case of waiting for the area to come up a bit or holding the redevelopment costs till it did. Who can do that? Chicken and Egg.
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BTW I think students bring economic activity to an area and to the city. The more that come here and stay on after graduation, the better. Our friends down the East Lancs have achieved a lot this way.
Perhaps if time limits were put on making places habitable, after all, it's not a million years ago it was a nursery, passing stringent regulations no doubt to be able to be one. After which there would be penalties with the most extreme being a handover to the council as it's they after all who take the criticism of thoroughfares into the city looking grubby and uninviting. Maybe a cpo based on its dilapidated condition then the likes of Maghull developments wouldn't just let them fall down so they can then build anew - without the VAT penalty etc. Look what happened to Jamica House on the corner of Dale st/Vernon st and what also happened not long ago to the oldest property on Dale st on the corner of Cheapside.
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