Granby Four Streets

By the 1830s, Welsh migrants were well established within Welsh firms in Liverpool.[11] A map from 1846–1848, prior to the housing estate construction, shows an area clear of any significant dwellings, with a collection of roperies located immediately to the east of what would become the Granby Streets.[12] The houses were constructed in the late 19th century by Welsh builders and designed by Welsh architect Richard Owens, a prolific architect of Liverpool's housing during the era.[3]

After World War II, Toxteth became a popular destination for commonwealth immigration and the Granby Streets region became one of the country's earliest multicultural neighbourhoods.[13] The Liverpool 8 postcode region and in particular Granby Street became Liverpool's post-war cosmopolitan centre during the 1950s, described at the time as a "buzzing place". During this time, Granby Street was home to around 100 retail outlets[14] which included a wide diversity of shops from a mixture of ethnic races, including a butchers and a cinema[15] while others sold spices and curry ingredients long before they were available in supermarkets.[16] Many of these shops were still run by ethnic minorities into the 21st century.[17] A former resident recalled life as a child growing up around the streets, describing the area during the 1950s–1960s:

"Granby Street was a haven of joviality, music, liveliness, nice people. It was a cosmopolitan area of wonderfulness. There was a community there that was together. It was a meeting place. It seemed to be like the inner core of Liverpool 8: Granby Street."[18]

One particular ethnic group in the area were the Malays, who in 1963 purchased number 7 Jermyn Street as the new home for their social club, following a failure to complete construction of a new nearby mosque due to lack of funds.[19] During the 1970s, the house became the central Malay place in the city, as recalled by a Malay child growing up in a white city, who felt out of place but that the house offered a sense of community.[16]

A house in Jermyn Street with frontage collapsed, pictured in August 2012

In the 1960s, Granby was designated as a "twilight area" and many residents who could afford to leave the area did so. Vacant properties were purchased by unscrupulous landlords keen to make quick rental profit. The living quality of many properties was sub–standard, which led to housing charity Shelter Neighbourhood Action Project (SNAP) becoming involved from 1969 until 1972, acquiring many of the poor quality properties and renovating them.[14] In Ducie Street, Shelter reported on the living standards within the homes and found over half were houses in multiple occupation, also stating that residents were keen to see improvements take place in the street.[20] The comedian Ken Dodd, born in Liverpool, opened flats in Ducie Street in April 1970.[21]

A public inquiry in 1972, at the time the first in the country of its kind into an application of compulsory purchase, heard that just ten homes were used to house fifty families; the houses comprised 78 adults and 24 children and nine of them were in multiple occupation. The substandard living conditions and higher risk of infection and health problems resulted in an application by Shelter to compulsory purchase the properties, of which there were around 10 objections to the application.[22] At the start of 1973, an estimated 17,000 people lived in the Granby Ward and called it home, despite many wanting to leave. A team of writers from the Liverpool Echo spent the weekend of 13–14 January in the Granby Ward to report on decaying houses, violence and vandalism in the area. The percentage of dwellings with shared occupation were 34 percent, compared with 3.3 percent nationally while over half the houses were without any hot water, compared with 12.5 percent nationally.[23] Some residents, such as those living in Cawdor Street and Arundel Street, fought to make their homes worthwhile, with the streets described by the Liverpool Echo as "like an oasis in a decaying desert".[24] Following publication of their findings, the Liverpool Echo received many complaints from readers, although noted it had also "received numerous communications" on their reporting of the area applauding their action in highlighting the problems.[25]

Shelter received approval from local government to acquire 600 properties and secured a £100,000 grant (equivalent to £1,751,014 in 2021) to invest over three years in the Granby area.[26] The project was one of the earliest examples of a community-based approach to neighbourhood regeneration; after two years, around half of the properties had been successfully rehabilitated, although challenges with securing improvement grants and convincing absentee landlords to improve their properties remained.[27] Throughout much of the 1970s, the area was relatively stable,[14] although an Ordnance Survey map from the late 1970s shows that much of the northern region of the Granby Streets had been demolished[28] and redeveloped into new housing by the end of the 1980s.[29]

Following the 1981 Toxteth riots, the area entered a period of economic decline, as shops went out of business and houses abandoned as housing associations withdrew from the area.[15] Towards the late 1980s, the area was home to around 40,000 black residents, who were described by Viscount Mersey of Toxteth, in a debate on the inner-cities in the House of Lords, as living in "the worst conditions that I have come across in this country", suggesting also that it wasn't possible to make a living as a retailer as all the shops were derelict or run–down.[30] Liverpool City Council's regeneration policy became one of demolition of the streets and to start over with a clean slate, a process which took place over decades until just four streets remained. In the mid-2000s, one resident returned home to find both neighbours had left; at its worst, a street of 68 households had only 8 occupied. The area became notorious for fly-tipping, including on routes that local schoolchildren would use to travel to and from school,[13] while the council ceased collecting bins and cleaning the streets.[31] One resident who moved into the streets in 1976 said "people would avoid these streets, they wouldn't walk down them". Boarded up houses had black painted boards, encouraging residents to enhance this by painting curtains on boards, fitting benches and putting out plants.[21]

The council launched the "Homes for a Pound" scheme in 2013 in the Granby Four Streets area, which saw over 2,500 applicants apply.[39] The proposal, referred to as the homesteading plan, came after a £25 million agreement with redeveloper LeaderOne collapsed, an arrangement that had planned to redevelop housing in Granby and nearby areas.[35] One of the earliest homes renovated under the £1 homes scheme was in Cairns Street in 2014, when a taxi driver spent over £30,000 refurbishing a four-bedroom, double-fronted property and promised to live in the property for at least the next five years.[40] As of May 2015, just 70 residents lived in an area of 200 homes.[31] By late 2015, 77 properties were under renovation with support from the council and housing associations, while owners of 34 homes were supported in undertaking improvements to the facades of their properties. Additionally, 38 properties were being redeveloped in Cairns Street and Jermyn Street respectively, while 24 homes were being improved by Plus Dane. Councillor Frank Holt, who was a member on the housing committee, said "the area is literally being reborn", thanking partners and the local community for formulating a plan following years of false dawns.[41]

Ducie Street, pictured derelict in 2013

The residents' Community Land Trust purchased 13 properties on Cairns Street for £1 each as part of the council scheme and proceeded to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds to make them habitable.[13] As well as houses, the Granby CLT also took ownership of four derelict shops on the corner of Granby and Cairns Street.[2] Reconstruction and renovation of other properties by residents used low–cost materials and left over waste from demolitions. Various partners have worked on the project, including HMS Housing Solutions, Plus Dane and Liverpool Mutual Homes among others, plus private individuals.[42]

In September 2018, then–Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn hailed the community as a "blueprint for what the rest of the UK could look like under a Labour Government", praising the success of campaigners and residents in regenerating the streets.[43]

Newly built end-terrace properties on Beaconsfield Street, pictured April 2020

Houses in Beaconsfield Street were regenerated in 2013, which also included the construction of four new houses as part of the renewal scheme.[44]

Developer West End Estates submitted an £8 million proposal in 2019 to renovate remaining houses on Ducie Street and construct 45 apartments on the street's vacant side,[45] previously occupied by houses of similar style before demolition in 2009. The proposal, to include building new apartments behind the existing Victorian facades,[46] was met with objections from 8 individuals and resident groups, who expressed concerns that the apartment would not support the aim of allowing families to establish themselves in the community. Residents also thought the proposed design was not in–keeping with existing architecture[47] and were unhappy about the nature of a consultation which only happened following a request from residents.[46]

The Granby Four Streets Market has been part of the community since around 2007, held on the main Granby Street every first Saturday of the month, featuring pre–owned clothes, art, crafts and paintings. The market was initiated by local residents who tired of living in empty streets and was originally a small table sale in Cairns Street, then inhabited by just 8 households. As of 2018, the market had grown to include up to 70 stalls, bringing together the local community and people from outside the area.[51]

In a collaboration between Assemble and the Community Land Trust with capital funding from the Arts Council,[52] two neglected properties in Cairns Street were transformed into an indoor garden and community space,[13] which opened as the Granby Winter Garden in March 2019.[15] The community space houses a communal garden area, as well as space for meetings and events, with hopes of eventually encouraging creative practices among residents.[52] The project also included transformation of the back alley from a rubbish dump, instead being filled with flowers and plants.[53]