Ringo Starr's birthplace could be saved after years of wrangling
Ringo Starr's Liverpool birthplace is likely to be saved after years of uncertainty and wrangling.
Liverpool City Council is being asked to approve proposals by developers Place First to demolish and refurbish terraces in the Welsh Streets district. Some homes will be knocked together to appeal to families, while others will be knocked down.
Last year, then Communities Secretary Eric Pickles overturned his planning inspector's backing for a housing plan.
The streets are known as Welsh Streets as they are named after the Welsh towns of the construction workers who built the terraces in the 19th Century.
Ringo Starr used to live at 9 Madryn Street - which is one of the 200 homes that would be refurbished. Sources differ on how long Starr lived there, with some suggestions it was three years before his family moved to nearby Admiral Grove, where he was living as a teenager shortly before The Beatles found fame.
'Insult to injury' Joe Anderson, Liverpool's Mayor, said 80% of residents backed the original plans for this area. "As a result of the prevarication over this scheme from different outside interest groups, we have lost a £13m government grant," he said. "However, given that the government has changed the planning rules we need to find a way forward in order to get this area sorted out as soon as possible and I am pleased we have been able to find a partner that is willing to look into taking on the Welsh Streets."
Source: BBC News
