Memorandum submitted by WDC Residents
Association
What a shame you had to cancel your visit to
Liverpool to meet residents of the Welsh Streets.
You would have seen for yourself how many have
already moved out and into better housing be it new-build at Clevedon
Park, just a few hundred yards from former homes in the Welsh
Streets or into refurbished properties, still within the community
but in surrounding streets. No doubt you and others have been
swayed by the vociferous anti-demolition group's plethora of misinformation
published by the various media, about this area.
The opposition to the Pathfinder programme for
this area only became involved at the end of 2004, when the instigator
of their campaign realised that her Kelvin Grove property was
in the demolition zone. The main focus of their group throughout
their continuing campaign is only concerned with Kelvin Grove
properties,they do NOT represent the wider community. In fact
the community is very angry that their group has spread vicious
rumours to further their cause and solicited support for their
campaign throughout the country, by intimating that they represent
the wider community and delaying the process. It is not happening
fast enough for this community and you would find the same view
expressed in other area of Merseyside, particularly Liverpool.
One ploy they used being to call themselves
the "Welsh Streets Home Group", causing confusion by
circulating flawed information, which residents believed to come
from us, the Welsh Streets Steering Group.
Our group have worked, as volunteer Street Representatives,
with the Pathfinder, for the past five years, to ensure that the
Community understood all that regeneration of the area entailed,
including demolition and by regular newsletters informing all
residents of progress of the proposals, together with holding
regular monthly forums & five Vision Events. Poor attendance
at meetings being that residents were apathetic or didn't think
it would happen, as these properties were due for demolition in
the 1970's, which didn't happen, many thought this programme just
another rumour.
However in the last couple of years the community
realised it could happen and the area could be revived, this was
shown in 2005 by over 250 residents taking placards to the Town
Hall, to demonstrate to Liverpool City Council Select Committee
that we are all in favour of demolition.
The Princes Park Pathfinder covers a large area
and only 11 streets are due for demolition, the surrounding streets
will be refurbishment.These houses were unable to be sold a few
years back, as no one wanted to live here, though many current
residents have lived here all their lives from when it was a decent
place to live. The Pathfinder programme gave those few long term
residents, who aspired to move to other areas of Merseyside, the
opportunity & means to fullfil their dreams.
The majority of residents wish to stay in the
area, as we have always had a very good community spirit here
and hope for it to continue, one of our stipulations to the Pathfinder
& Associates being that the community be kept together. This
is happening, as the 100 of us who have moved into the new properties
at Clevedon Park are all former neighbours from the Welsh Streets.
We just wish the media would take a more balanced
view of the programme by interviewing & publishing the views
of those residents in favour of the programme.
Politicians say they listen to the people, they
may listen but don't listen properly to what people need.
19 November 2007
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