Edge Lane Development

[Cadfael]

It's quite funny but about 2 years ago, I was stuck in a traffic jam on Edge Lane from the Rocket. Now that all the millions has been spent on the road, I'm stuck in exactly the same traffic jam as nothing has been done to help the motorist.

A fantastic effort

[Howie]

£9m investment threat over forced Edge Lane house sales
Jan 16 2008
By Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post



MILLIONS of pounds could be withdrawn from the Edge Lane West project if developers are prevented from forcing homeowners to sell their houses, a planning inquiry heard yesterday.

Opponents of the scheme told the planning inspector they believed housing market failure in the area was deliberately engineered. as part of a conspiracy.

The planning inspector is hearing evidence to decide whether to uphold a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on almost 70 houses along Edge Lane and surrounding streets.

If the order goes through the houses and 300 others will be demolished along to make way for a wider "urban boulevard".

The scheme is being spearheaded by Liverpool Land Development Company (LLDC) and national regeneration agency English Partnerships (EP).

The agency’s area director for Merseyside and Cheshire, Eliot Lewis-Ward, told the inquiry his organisation would plough more than £9m into the Edge Lane West scheme.

But he added: "In the event that the order is not confirmed, or only confirmed in part, English Partnerships would have to re-appraise its involvement in the scheme.

"Without the order’s confirmation, it is very unlikely the envisaged regeneration benefits would be achieved, which could result in our resources being directed elsewhere."

As well as road widening, the plans include 280 new houses, a new medical centre and shops.

Because Liverpool City Council already owns the majority of the houses, and there is no appetite to go ahead with the project on a "piecemeal" basis, it is unclear how the project would proceed without English Partnerships.

Mr Lewis-Ward told the Daily Post if the inquiry ruled against the CPO, his agency would "re-evaluate" their position to see if the plan wa the right one for them.

It is the second CPO issued on the properties.

The first was quashed in the High Court in November, 2006, on a technicality.

Elizabeth Pascoe, head of opponents’ group Better Environmental Vision for Edge Lane (BEVEL) brought that action after a similar public inquiry in December, 2005. Ms Pascoe, who claims to have spent 10,000 unpaid hours fighting the plans, said in her opening statement: "I think it is most unfortunate that we find ourselves back here again, wasting public money.

"I cannot bring myself to do politically correct, and it is very hard to avoid this becoming anything other than antagonistic or acrimonious.

"I have watched them for years using funding made available to help us instead to destroy us. It is impossible for our side not to seem like a polemic because as almost anyone in the street will tell you, ‘this stinks’."

LLDC and English Partnership’s case hinges in part on claims the area is suffering from housing market failure because few people want to live in the houses.

But Ms Pascoe told the inquiry she believed the situation was artificially engineered.

She said: "Two years ago when the previous CPO kicked off in 2005 we had 131 empty properties in these orderlands (correct), mostly vacated since 2002

"Of those 131 empty, 127 were social tenants given incentives to go elsewhere."

Chris Lockhart-Mummery, QC, opened the case for the CPO.

He said developers would rely on arguments put forward in the previous inquiry because they remained valid.

He said: "Whilst accepting the burden must remain on EP to justify confirmation of this order, it must be incumbent on objectors to show why the conclusions on the merits in 2005/2006 are not sound today."

"If the Secretary of State were to arrive at different conclusions from those reached in the decision letter relating to [the first] CPO, she would have to have regard to the merits of making consistent decisions and to give reasons for arriving at a different conclusion."

Mr Lockhart-Mummery called Mike Burchnall, Liverpool City Council’s assistant executive director for regeneration services.

Mr Burchnall said an alternative plan for the area submitted by BEVEL, known as Plan B, was unsuitable.

He doubted if it could get either planning permission, secure funding, or deliver the regeneration promised by the LLDC plans.

A report will be drawn up by a planning inspector and passed to Local Government Minister Hazel Blears is expected to announce her decision by the summer.

benschofield@dailypost.co.uk

Source: Liverpool Daily Post

[AK1]

It's quite funny but about 2 years ago, I was stuck in a traffic jam on Edge Lane from the Rocket. Now that all the millions has been spent on the road, I'm stuck in exactly the same traffic jam as nothing has been done to help the motorist.

A fantastic effort

It's important to remember that there's still roadworks taking place along edge lane so there's still going to be a few heavy traffic jams. Even the project leader himself said that the improvements to the road aren't major, they are designed to help the traffic flow better, which will happen when the entire project is complete. He said the main objective of the scheme is to improve the local area with new housing, jobs etc etc

[Kev]

Home failure ‘conspiracy’ is denied

ALLEGATIONS that housing market failure along Edge Lane were deliberately engineered were strongly denied at a planning inquiry yesterday. Read

[Cadfael]

Home failure ‘conspiracy’ is denied

ALLEGATIONS that housing market failure along Edge Lane were deliberately engineered were strongly denied at a planning inquiry yesterday. Read

Nice of the reporter not to include my website address despite a nice e-mail from him saying that on his next report, he'll try and include it.

An 'urban boulevard'? You mean concrete and flat stones for as far as the eye can see?

I fail to see just one point - forget my involvement and the road itself, LCC seem to concentrate on the houses themselves saying that no one likes them and that they're falling down. Is it just me or would anyone else like to have a house as big as that? They're bloody massive inside - I've been in to one that is still being used and you would pay over a million if the same house was in a different area. I grant you that these were built before the success of the motorcar in today's terms, so there's no drive or garage, but sod me, if one of those houses came on the market for buttons, I'd certainly buy it and do it up in my own time.

The 'aging' part of it has nothing to do with the problem. Why not knock down Speke Hall then as that's getting on a bit.

You only have to look at an official report titled 'Edge Lane Survey Report' at http://www.edgelane.moonfruit.com/surveys to see that these are structurally sound!

[AK1]

It's true that alot of the houses are in good condition, but it's also true that no-one wants them and they are in the way of creating a much cleaner, greener, safer and prosperous environment. If they stayed they would simply end up getting diced up into cheap flats that would fall into further dereliction plus the road would become ever more congested and dangerous and new facilities couldn't be built.
You have to think ahead, I would love to see the houses kept but only if all the other enhancements could take place aswell which they can't. (by the way, the new paving etc is granite, not concrete.

[Howie]

Edge Lane demolition "10 times more expensive" than restoring area
Jan 24 2008
by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

IT COULD cost 10 times as much to demolish homes on Liverpool’s Edge Lane than refurbish them, a public inquiry heard yesterday.

More...

[Waterways]

It's true that alot of the houses are in good condition, but it's also true that no-one wants them and they are in the way of creating a much cleaner, greener, safer and prosperous environment. If they stayed they would simply end up getting diced up into cheap flats that would fall into further dereliction plus the road would become ever more congested and dangerous and new facilities couldn't be built.
You have to think ahead, I would love to see the houses kept but only if all the other enhancements could take place as well which they can't. (by the way, the new paving etc is granite, not concrete.

Many of those glazed yellow brick houses are magnificent!!! If restored they will be far better than any modern house - and look better too. The larger can be converted to flats with correct soundproofing added. Many were made into flats in the 1970s. I know I designed the heating and gas installations in many of them. I must admit the conversions were far from ideal, being built down to a price. Current building regs would improve the conversions. They would need to be highly insulated to keep people from fuel poverty.

I don't believe in keeping something because it is just old. Somethings that are old are not worth having. Some things that are old certainly are. We are running out of fine old buildings in Liverpool. 30 years ago the city was full of fine old buildings - the philistines who ran the city since have decimated the place.

If these homes have to go the re-located replacements must look exactly like them. Not some modern attempt at retro-style which never works - exactly like them in glazed brick, etc.

[Cadfael]

Many of those glazed yellow brick houses are magnificent!!! If restored they will be far better than any modern house - and look better too. The larger can be converted to flats with correct soundproofing added. Many were made into flats in the 1970s. I know I designed the heating and gas installations many of them. I must admit the conversions were far from ideal, being built down to a price. Current building regs would improve the conversions. They would need to be highly insulated top keep people from fuel poverty.

I don't believe in keeping something because it is just old. Somethings that are old are not worth having. Some things that are old certainly are. We are running out of fine old buildings in Liverpool. 30 years ago the city was full of fine old buildings - the philistines who ran the city since have decimated the place.

If these homes have to go the re-located replacements must look exactly like them. Not some modern attempt at retro-style which never works - exactly like them in glazed brick, etc.

I'll clap till my hands are sore.

[Waterways]

I'll clap till my hands are sore.

All this city has done, and is still doing, is squander its heritage:

- The miss-placed Arena at the Kings Dock was built on in-filled historic docks - some of it is used for coach parking to bus in outsiders for big companies to make money.
- Princes and Princes half-tide docks are filled in to canal boat depths precluding deep water vessels.
- Cases Street, one of the city's oldest streets was demolished for a tacky shopping mall.
- demolition of the warehouses at Waterloo Dock (half are left and desirable flats now)
- Countless 200 year old warehouses were bulldozed, which could have made fine "solid" apartments.
- the demolition of the old palladium warehouses at Dukes Dock (cars park there now)
- etc
- etc

[Ged]

The Customs House and Sailors Home could have been saved and the overhead renovated. What attractions they could be now in 08.

[Howie]

Do Edge Lane up, don't knock it down
Jan 24 2008
by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Echo



IT COULD cost 10 times as much to demolish homes on Liverpool’s Edge Lane than refurbish them, a public inquiry was told.

Academics speaking against a compulsory purchase order to demolish 70 Victorian homes for a new gateway into Liverpool said refurbishment was the best option because it was cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

More...

[Waterways]

The Customs House and Sailors Home could have been saved and the overhead renovated. What attractions they could be now in 08.

The Customs House? A St. Paul's Cathedral lookalike. If in London it would have been renovated.

The David Lewis Building. The old St John's market and all the buildings and small squares around. The decimation of the Georgian houses around Upper Parliament St. A whole Georgian sector was obliterated!!!! Only a small amount survive. We can all go on and on and on.