Special investigation: For years, Matt O'Donoghue was told about major problems at a controversial development in Everton. Then the dire predictions came true
This makes for terrifying and depressing reading. How on earth have we arrived at a situation where “it had become impossible for… inspectors to visit every building site across the city” but that the responsible authorities “take developers at their word that the work has been done to regulation and up to standard”? I’m sure I’m not alone in being shocked by the news that Completion Certificates can be issued by anyone with a printer & a biro, by the sound of it. I feel desperately sorry for the people who’ve been conned into buying uninhabitable flats for their own occupation. Not quite so sorry for the speculative landlord investors.
If memory serves me right, that was back in 2010. He answer a question about Muirhead Avenue. But his context was given to be during the Capital of Culture building boom and the regeneration that followed. It was just as shocking at the time as it is today and left us all with the question "how many other buildings are unsafe and have people living in them?" Almost a decade later, The Paramount and Fox Street Village proved Muirhead was not an isolated case. The problem's been made worse by the way that property is no longer considered just to be a "home" but also "an investment". For those who've spent their lives saving or have a retirement pension pot, these off plan schemes can appear to be an attractive proposition. They certainly fill a gap in the market to fund student accomodation. But they are also what's known as UCIS - unregulated collective investment schemes. When things go wrong, buyers often find their life savings gone and are left with nothing but broken dreams.
Thank goodness for Matt O'Donoghue and The Post. A sober but brilliant piece of writing based on what we have been lacking: decent investigative journalism. It feels like the yawning ethical gap which opened up after the end of Liverpool Free Press and which was only filled by brave individuals, has now been closed. It doesn't stop the chancers and exploiters but at least there's a place where they can be exposed. Thank you.
Another brilliant article in depth well researched this is Another reason good developers stay away from Liverpool because of these people brilliant article matt Brian Jones
Liverpool’s former Director of Regeneration, Nick Kavanagh. He told a council meeting that it had become impossible for his inspectors to visit every building site across the city. Instead, he told elected members, they “take developers at their word” that the work has been done to regulation and up to standard. I'm sitting inthe barbers reading this, just said WTF outloud!...
I agree with Fiona, a brilliant but extremely depressing piece. It’s clear a number of bad people with bad intentions saw a way to make money in the worse way. Is there a handbook somewhere that explains to these so called developers, how to completely rip people off and get away with it. It’s like they all look at places like Liverpool where regeneration is needed and said let’s just really mess with people. How have we got here?
We got here because of the Neoliberal agenda the government's have been following since the 80's. Slow, steady decline in everything apart from shareholder dividends...
I agree. It's been turbocharged by austerity more recently.
For years, attacks on "bureaucracy", "red-tape" and "regulation" have been applauded. Perhaps we're beginning to recognise that these things exist for good reasons.
However, there are cases where some investors and shareholders are among those who've been ripped off, as well.
I have a dark story that's informed by anecdotal chat that the "handbook" exists as learned and shared experience. This is passed from one to the next in informal conversations amongst loosely affiliated groups as they holiday on the proceeds in places such as Dubai. Of course, none of this could happen without those professionals who grease the wheels, the sales teams who share lead lists, the solicitors who knowing draw up buyer contracts, the administrators who ensure those distressed assets like land or buildings end up in the right hands and with no debt attached. All of this said, the is no proven evidence of any criminal activity at Fox Street Village and to suggest as much would be inaccurate. But when the same things appear to happen repeatedly at different locations and under the direction of apparently unconnected crews, it's certainly something we should investigate and question. The negative impact on the city has been immeasurable. The damage done to businesses who don't get paid and buyers who lose everything can be life changing and devastating.
One of the reasons there’s so much frustration regarding the glacial pace of the Grenfell Inquiry and the seemingly improbable level of accountability for the failings leading to the disaster, is that there’s a sense that many, many more of these homes in unsafe buildings are at risk.
Process is essential, but must be seen to be followed with some sense of urgency and efficiency, not to be “lawyered” into oblivion.
That part about the Police needing to break into every apartment in Block A to ensure it had been evacuated is really chilling, and not something I've seen reported before. It's unbelievable people are living like this post-Grenfell. Profit over human lives.
It's the current business model that's to blame. With the focus placed on shareholder dividends and news aggregating search engines that have failed to pay, effectively stealing content. Another perfect storm. More ridiculous is the rise in AI generated content that now appears in some of those publications that have laid off skilled and qualified journalist to increase their profit. Let there be light.
And many outlets owned offshore by tax avoiders with no roots in or feelings about communities. Plus supine politicians, desperate to grab votes from a mythical middle ground and with no principled bone in their bodies, actually willing to write for racists and liars.
Why do these ‘successful entrepreneurs’ have to be morally bankrupt? And why does being financially bankrupt mean you don’t have to pay your debts or go to prison?
I note that no-one has gone to gaol over Grenfell yet.
Neoliberalism is contemporarily used to refer to market-oriented reform policies such as "eliminating price controls, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers" and reducing, especially through privatization and austerity, state influence in the economy
There should be enforceable controls over planning - councils don't seem to have the resources or the will to enforce those that do exist. However, it seems to vary between councils - my daughter and her husband (in West Lancs) were subject to several visits from Building Control for a relatively minor building alteration, whereas in Liverpool over the last 27 years I have never received any notice from the council about any extensions undertaken by several of my neighbours.
This makes for terrifying and depressing reading. How on earth have we arrived at a situation where “it had become impossible for… inspectors to visit every building site across the city” but that the responsible authorities “take developers at their word that the work has been done to regulation and up to standard”? I’m sure I’m not alone in being shocked by the news that Completion Certificates can be issued by anyone with a printer & a biro, by the sound of it. I feel desperately sorry for the people who’ve been conned into buying uninhabitable flats for their own occupation. Not quite so sorry for the speculative landlord investors.
If memory serves me right, that was back in 2010. He answer a question about Muirhead Avenue. But his context was given to be during the Capital of Culture building boom and the regeneration that followed. It was just as shocking at the time as it is today and left us all with the question "how many other buildings are unsafe and have people living in them?" Almost a decade later, The Paramount and Fox Street Village proved Muirhead was not an isolated case. The problem's been made worse by the way that property is no longer considered just to be a "home" but also "an investment". For those who've spent their lives saving or have a retirement pension pot, these off plan schemes can appear to be an attractive proposition. They certainly fill a gap in the market to fund student accomodation. But they are also what's known as UCIS - unregulated collective investment schemes. When things go wrong, buyers often find their life savings gone and are left with nothing but broken dreams.
Thank goodness for Matt O'Donoghue and The Post. A sober but brilliant piece of writing based on what we have been lacking: decent investigative journalism. It feels like the yawning ethical gap which opened up after the end of Liverpool Free Press and which was only filled by brave individuals, has now been closed. It doesn't stop the chancers and exploiters but at least there's a place where they can be exposed. Thank you.
Well said!
Another brilliant article in depth well researched this is Another reason good developers stay away from Liverpool because of these people brilliant article matt Brian Jones
Liverpool’s former Director of Regeneration, Nick Kavanagh. He told a council meeting that it had become impossible for his inspectors to visit every building site across the city. Instead, he told elected members, they “take developers at their word” that the work has been done to regulation and up to standard. I'm sitting inthe barbers reading this, just said WTF outloud!...
I swore out loud at that bit too! Utterly beggars belief…
I agree with Fiona, a brilliant but extremely depressing piece. It’s clear a number of bad people with bad intentions saw a way to make money in the worse way. Is there a handbook somewhere that explains to these so called developers, how to completely rip people off and get away with it. It’s like they all look at places like Liverpool where regeneration is needed and said let’s just really mess with people. How have we got here?
We got here because of the Neoliberal agenda the government's have been following since the 80's. Slow, steady decline in everything apart from shareholder dividends...
I agree. It's been turbocharged by austerity more recently.
For years, attacks on "bureaucracy", "red-tape" and "regulation" have been applauded. Perhaps we're beginning to recognise that these things exist for good reasons.
However, there are cases where some investors and shareholders are among those who've been ripped off, as well.
Totally agree!
I have a dark story that's informed by anecdotal chat that the "handbook" exists as learned and shared experience. This is passed from one to the next in informal conversations amongst loosely affiliated groups as they holiday on the proceeds in places such as Dubai. Of course, none of this could happen without those professionals who grease the wheels, the sales teams who share lead lists, the solicitors who knowing draw up buyer contracts, the administrators who ensure those distressed assets like land or buildings end up in the right hands and with no debt attached. All of this said, the is no proven evidence of any criminal activity at Fox Street Village and to suggest as much would be inaccurate. But when the same things appear to happen repeatedly at different locations and under the direction of apparently unconnected crews, it's certainly something we should investigate and question. The negative impact on the city has been immeasurable. The damage done to businesses who don't get paid and buyers who lose everything can be life changing and devastating.
Excellent piece - thank you.
One of the reasons there’s so much frustration regarding the glacial pace of the Grenfell Inquiry and the seemingly improbable level of accountability for the failings leading to the disaster, is that there’s a sense that many, many more of these homes in unsafe buildings are at risk.
Process is essential, but must be seen to be followed with some sense of urgency and efficiency, not to be “lawyered” into oblivion.
That part about the Police needing to break into every apartment in Block A to ensure it had been evacuated is really chilling, and not something I've seen reported before. It's unbelievable people are living like this post-Grenfell. Profit over human lives.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/02/collapse-of-local-media-leaves-us-all-in-the-dark
It's the current business model that's to blame. With the focus placed on shareholder dividends and news aggregating search engines that have failed to pay, effectively stealing content. Another perfect storm. More ridiculous is the rise in AI generated content that now appears in some of those publications that have laid off skilled and qualified journalist to increase their profit. Let there be light.
And many outlets owned offshore by tax avoiders with no roots in or feelings about communities. Plus supine politicians, desperate to grab votes from a mythical middle ground and with no principled bone in their bodies, actually willing to write for racists and liars.
Why do these ‘successful entrepreneurs’ have to be morally bankrupt? And why does being financially bankrupt mean you don’t have to pay your debts or go to prison?
I note that no-one has gone to gaol over Grenfell yet.
Neoliberalism is contemporarily used to refer to market-oriented reform policies such as "eliminating price controls, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers" and reducing, especially through privatization and austerity, state influence in the economy
We should make Liverpool a crime movie making centre - casting locally would be a doddle.
There should be enforceable controls over planning - councils don't seem to have the resources or the will to enforce those that do exist. However, it seems to vary between councils - my daughter and her husband (in West Lancs) were subject to several visits from Building Control for a relatively minor building alteration, whereas in Liverpool over the last 27 years I have never received any notice from the council about any extensions undertaken by several of my neighbours.