Liverpool City Council has pulled out of a £25 million housing regeneration scheme in the heart of the city.
They have withdrawn from working with developer Leader 1 (Liverpool) who was chosen to refurbish vacant properties in Granby Four Streets, Arnside Road and Webster Triangle.
Leader 1 (Liverpool) was presented with a contract by the council in August. However, they failed to sign it and as a result the council has been forced to extract its offer.
Almost 200 homes were supposed to be refurbished or built by the developer, which was formed in October 2011 but has not yet filed any accounts.
The council officials say they are very disappointed that the decision had to be taken and local residents are also losing faith in the plans.
Councillor Alan Dean told JMU Journalism: “Leader 1 gave us the confidence that they would be able to deliver the scheme and over the summer, the City Council agreed with Leader 1 the details of the delivery plan but no work has commenced on site.”
The council insists that the regeneration will still go ahead and they are looking for a new developer.
Councillor Dean said: “These areas remain a priority for us. We are working as hard as we can to ensure this vital housing renewal is delivered as quickly as possible. We will be talking to residents very soon about how we plan to move things forward.
“I know how long local people have been waiting for this work to take place and I am disappointed that we are now in this position. Our priority is to ensure that the regeneration happens as quickly as possible.”