Fountain Street in £1m Government cash redevelopment

Oct 21 2009 by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News

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AN area of land in Tranmere, left derelict for three years, will receive £1m in government money to start a much-delayed housing development.

Work should begin in November after Housing Minister, John Healey revealed the latest stage in government’s Kickstart scheme to get the housing industry moving.

The area around Fountain Street and Whitfield Road is one of only two projects in Merseyside to benefit from funding.

John Healey said: “We promised more investment to build new homes and have put our money where our mouth is.”

As reported in the News last week, residents described life surrounded by dereliction as “horrendous”, after the terrace houses originally in place were knocked down and not replaced.

Instead, the wasteland became an eyesore and magnet for anti-social behaviour, underage drinking, fly-tipping and bonfires.

But now proposals registered last year by developer Lovell, to build 56 new homes on the site, should soon reach fruition.

Father-of-three Tom Wilkinson, who lives on Fountain Street, said: “That’s fantastic news, I’m made up.

“It’ll mean the world to my family and should make for a much safer environment.”