Oakfield Terrace: An update from Tom at Homebaked CLT, May 2023

I’m excited – and relieved – to say that last month, the Oakfield Terrace scheme gained Liverpool City Council Cabinet’s stamp of approval, after 12 months of negotiations. Now, we’re on the final stretch to #GetTheTerraceDone.

As a local resident myself, I imagine we share many mixed feelings towards our Oakfield Terrace scheme. Whilst Oakfield Terrace remains tinned up, we know it looks like progress has stopped. However, I can assure you this is certainly not the case. 

Behind the scenes, we’ve been working relentlessly to make sure everything is in place to make Oakfield Terrace the best it can be, and the best for our community.

We were all made up to have secured planning permission in 2019 and excited as the Community Land Trust geared up in preparation to get on site. But, that moment of excitement didn’t last. Over the past 3 years, we have faced unprecedented challenges and it feels like we have hit every possible bump in the road.

Like so many other local organisations, the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the sensitive and complex situation at Liverpool City Council have all had a knock on effect for us as a CLT and the construction sector as a whole. They’ve all resulted in lengthy delays and significant cost increases. 

Despite this, me and the team are throwing everything we have as a final push to get on site. We’re looking at ‘value engineering’ to identify ways to balance out the cost increases without compromising on the design and features. We’ve also started to deliver our ambitious fundraising strategy, bringing much needed investment into our neighbourhoods.

Alongside all efforts to get on site, we’re in the process of becoming a Registered Provider (RP) of Social Housing, which is a job and a half, but essential to be able to offer safe and secure homes for our community. 

Although delivering our aspirations will continue to be an uphill battle, now that we have secured LCC Cabinet’s stamp of approval, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

We are really pleased to be developing the scheme in collaboration with a number of partners including Your Housing Group (YHG) as our development partner, and Penny Lane Builders as our construction partner.  We’re excited that the scheme will also be able to offer job and training opportunities for local residents. 

In the meantime, we have been delivering a ‘more than bricks and mortar’ programme of activities over the last 18 months, designed with the intention of extending the CLT’s impact and ambitions across the neighbourhood. It’s been amazing to connect with so many familiar and new faces across these events and activities, and there are plenty more to come. 

For any local residents who want to find out more, these events are a great way to meet the team and find out what the CLT is all about. For any of our members who may feel disconnected, I would love the opportunity to catch up. I’m here to ensure all our members feel connected and able to shape what we do. 

Please get in touch with me on the details below if you would like any more information - or, even better, would like to get involved.

With just a few hurdles left to navigate, I’m confident that it won’t be too much longer before we are on site working to #GetTheTerraceDone.

Tom Murphy

Homebaked CLT - Secretary and Project Coordinator

tom.murphy@homebaked.org.uk

07596741379

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