When will 'forgotten' area see change at last?

FRUSTRATION ON DUCIE STREET - BUT COUNCIL OFFERS REASSURANCE

- By LIAM THORP

FOR those living in and around Ducie Street in Toxteth, the last few years have been exhausting.

While so much of this corner of Liverpool 8 has been improved and regenerated in recent times, this one street has stood out like a dilapidated sore thumb for far too long.

The ECHO has reported on the situation involving a number of damaged and vacant properties in Ducie Street, which falls in the Granby area of Toxteth, over the years. Ducie Street is one of the Granby Four Streets found in the heart of Toxteth, where numerous improvements have taken place in recent years thanks to the efforts of a community organisation.

But despite these improvements, Ducie Street has remained a depressing eyesore and a continual magnet for fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour over recent years.

In 2017, the ECHO revealed how Liverpool City Council leased the street to private developers West Tree Estates Limited for nil value, under a delegated decision. The street was part of a portfolio of 50 properties and plots around the Granby area given to the developers for nil or close to nil value.

Planning permission for 80 apartments on Ducie Street was subsequently granted to West Tree Estates in 2020, in a move which drew plenty of local opposition. Local people spent years trying to wrestle control of the scheme back for the good of the community, but faced brick walls and silence - until recently.

The date of October 31 brought with it a landmark moment for this embattled community.