First £1 house a success says Mayor Joe
THE first of Liverpool’s £1 homes has been completed.
Jayalal Madde, 49, a self-employed taxi driver who has lived for a number of years in Toxteth with his wife and two daughters, took on a property in Cairns Street, Granby in October 2013.
He put the finance in place for repairs, which was one of the conditions of the deal.
The council announced in February last year that it was making 20 homes available for £1 under a pilot scheme designed to help regenerate vacant properties in Granby and Picton.
The area was part of the previous government’s doomed Pathfinder housing market renewal initiative which involved buying up homes with the intention of knocking them down and building new properties. The scheme ground to a halt in 2011 after being axed by the coalition, leaving hundreds of boarded up homes in Liverpool and elsewhere.
More than 4,000 people initially registered an interest for the £1 home scheme and 1,036 people submitted a formal bid. Those who secured a home were expected to refurbish it to “decent home standard” within 12 months. It must be in a reasonable state of repair, be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. The council estimates around £35,000 will need to be spent on each property. The freehold will only be transferred once the work is complete and has been inspected.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “I am really pleased to be having a look around Mr Madde’s new home and seeing the work he has carried out to bring it up to standard. I know from my conversations with him that he has a genuine commitment to the area, and it is great to know that a once run down property has been lovingly transformed into a home for his family, and will also help contribute to making the local area more attractive and sustainable.
“This is a really creative scheme, but is just part of the overall picture. Across the city, we’ve already brought more than 1,300 properties back into use over the last two years, and through our housing development partners we are committed to making sure another 1,000 are renovated.”
Liverpool City Council said Work was underway on six other £1 homes that were handed over last year. The remaining properties in the pilot will be given to their new owners at the start of 2015.
