SAVE campaign celebrates as demolition of terraces around Ringo Starr's birthplace is vetoed
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
"Welsh Streets" terraces that surround Ringo Starr's Liverpool birthplace to be saved from demolition
Ringo's House, 9 Madryn Street, Liverpool© Rept0n1x, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsFollowing a three-week public inquiry in summer 2014, the Secretary of State has said he does not accept the conclusions of the Inspector Christine Thorby and Liverpool City Council, who recommended permission for a planning application which proposed to demolish 400 of the 440 terraced houses on the site, known as the Welsh Streets, bringing only 40 back into use.
As part of their campaign, SAVE Britain’s Heritage purchased 21 Madryn Street, a few doors from Ringo Starr’s birthplace at Number 9, and helped a local couple bring it back into occupation for an initial £3,000.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government called an inquiry into the council’s plan to demolish and rebuild some of the houses in the Welsh Streets in September 2013. Now he has called for market testing and other options for refurbishment, stating that demolition should be a “last resort”.
In the report, issued today, the Secretary of State said that he agreed with SAVE that the Welsh Streets are of "considerable significance" as "non-designated heritage assets of historic, architectural, cultural and social interest.”
Pickles described Liverpool City Council’s decision to demolish much of the street and surrounding area around the Beatles drummer's birthplace as “short-sighted”.
“The Secretary of State agrees with SAVE that the demolition of much of Madryn Street would significantly harm the ability to understand and appreciate this part of Liverpool’s Beatles heritage which he considers to be of importance to the City," it concluded.
The Welsh Streets consist of a grid-plan of streets built in the 1870s as bye-law housing very close to the Grade II*-listed Princes Park. The estate layout and the terraced houses were designed by the Welsh-born architect Richard Owens and constructed by Welsh builders.
They were intended to house Welsh families, among others, seeking work in the growing economy of Liverpool. Most of the streets were given Welsh names.
Opposing the application to demolish much of the area and build new two-storey housing, the SAVE team unearthed new evidence about the architect of the buildings, Richard Owens, and established that the houses were 20 years older than was originally thought.
Evidence suggests they are part of a larger estate planned by Owens - one of several he laid out for Liverpool during a time of great expansion for the city.
Assisted by Gareth Carr, an architectural historian, the campaign group argued that the Welsh Streets and Owen are "pivotal" to the understanding and the development of the terraced house nationally and even internationally, not just in Liverpool.
SAVE Director Clem Cecil said they saluted the secretary of State’s decision.
“We have been arguing for the heritage value of these terraced streets for many years and we are delighted that this has now been officially acknowledged at the highest level,” she added.
“It is vital now to break the deadlock that has led to these houses and the area deteriorate over so many years.
"Many inspiring projects are bringing empty homes back into use in Liverpool today. These streets can be next.
"We hope that this decision will bring a final end to demolition on this scale.”
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