Important Issue concerning Oakfield Terrace
Homebaked CLT received an email from Liverpool City Council (LCC) last Tuesday, 26th November, to say that LCC have another plan for Oakfield Terrace. This came out of the blue.
Following the recent redesign process, based on member and community input at our Open Meeting in August and from the reconvined core design team, we met with the Director of Regeneration in early September. We understood this to be the start of a dialog between us to work together to finally unlock the scheme, and submitted our proposal for what we believed to be the fastest route to get something started on site, utilising the £520k we have currently aligned.
On Monday 2nd December, we learnt that the terrace had been added to the council’s Void Housing Stock Asset List for ‘disposal on the open market’, without fully considering the best options for it (unlike as has happened with the other properties on the list). We met with LCC on Wednesday 4th December, and now believe this decision, which effectively pulls the rug from under us, has been rushed and made without proper sight of all the facts. We urged them to remove the terrace from the list, at least until a proper due diligence process has been carried out.
It is clear that we all want to see something positive happening with the terrace.
We believe the submitted proposal could have achieved that in the first half of 2025; if LCC as the freeholder chose to enable it.
Alternatively there is an opportunity for LCC to include the terrace as part of its existing community-led housing scheme, alongside other groups across the City, however a choice is being made not to even investigate this.
However, their current position is to instead progress with plans that will not see work happen until the end of next year; at best. Putting the Terrace on the open market not only risks the considerable investment made in it to date, but would throw away the opportunity to protect this asset in community ownership, ensuring long term benefits for our community.
We are asking:
Why has LCC chosen to include 179-195 Oakfield Road in its Void Housing Stock Asset List for ‘disposal on the open market’, without fully considering the best options for it (as it has done for other homes on the list)?
Why has LCC created a community-led housing policy for the transfer of assets to community groups – but has chosen not to consider its use here?
And why, after eight years of working together and considerable investment, was this decision made without any communication with Homebaked CLT?
If you still believe the terrace should be protected as a community asset, we need your help.
Please join us to demonstrate outside of the Town Hall on Tuesday 10th December from 4pm ahead of the Cabinet Meeting. We’ve got funding to reimburse out-of-pocket travel expenses (on public transport).
The cabinet meeting is public so you can attend alongside us.
Speak to your local Councillors and MP
We’re also reaching out to the media. If anyone is willing to support this and be interviewed, please let us know.