Liverpool does refurbish homes

Liverpool Council has a long history of extensive refurbishment programmes (more than 30,000 properties included in area-based initiatives for more than 30 years) and as part of the housing market renewal initiative has refurbished more than 2,800 properties.

The planning file figures quoted by Mr Palin cannot be reconciled with the actual number of responses received. For the purpose of transparency, all representations will be fully considered by the planning committee at a public meeting at the appropriate time.

In terms of the residents directly affected by the regeneration proposals, there are just five properties from the 295 currently scheduled for demolition which have not yet been sold to the council - all the rest have been sold voluntarily without the need for a compulsory purchase order. Hardly the hundreds in opposition implied by the article.

There are, however, more than 100 residents still living in appalling housing conditions who support the redevelopment plans and are patiently waiting for new homes.

The government’s new homes bonus is based on an annual assessment of net additional homes, which is hardly going to yield any significant resources in the immediate future to help places like Liverpool tackle market failure in areas of extreme deprivation.

The empty homes fund will be more than fully utilised to assist us in tackling the 9,349 void properties outside clearance areas where refurbishment is considered the best course of action to maintain long-term sustainability.

Elaine Stewart, head of housing renewal services, Liverpool Council