Podcast: ‘This really is an epic story’ – the saving of Liverpool’s Welsh Streets

SAVE director Henrietta Billings discusses ‘the planning battle of the century (so far)’ on Open City’s architecture podcast

27th June, 2024

SAVE’s director Henrietta Billings is this week’s guest on The Brief, the weekly news and culture podcast from architecture charity Open City.

Host Merlin Fulcher asks Henrietta about the campaign to save the Welsh Streets in Liverpool, which were condemned to demolition by a misguided government policy to clear hundreds of thousands of Victorian terraces in the North of England.

This summer is the 10th anniversary of the public inquiry that pitted local campaigners and SAVE victoriously against Liverpool council.

As Henrietta tells listeners, it really is an epic story, featuring the Beatles, TV presenter George Clarke, the Turner Prize for art, an audacious house purchase by SAVE, creative architects, an imaginative housing association – and the formidable and undaunted residents of Toxteth.

Reporting on SAVE’s victory, The Times called it “one of the most bitterly fought planning battles of the century (so far)”. As well as saving 400 homes on the Welsh Streets, including Ringo Starr’s birthplace, the public inquiry led to the scrapping of the destructive Pathfinder. We showed that Victorian terraces condemned as “obsolete” could be brought back to life as versatile and attractive family homes. Today those streets are filled with families again. “The long-term ramifications have been massive,” Henrietta tells Merlin.

Other stories discussed by Henrietta and Merlin include:

:: The addition of 86 buildings to SAVE’s Buildings at Risk register (including a cinema with a not-so-hidden message) – and why it matters that new uses are found for them.

:: The need for the next government to invest in the planning system to stem the loss of conservation officers and others with the skill and experience to demand the best from developers and housebuilders.

:: Delays to the restoration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art building after its devastation by two fires. Henrietta says: “Such an important building should get national government attention and funding… It would be a fantastic gesture for Westminster to help with the restoration… And what a way to talk about a united kingdom!”

Finally, the show mentions some important dates for your diary, including SAVE’s guided tour of London’s only lighthouse and an Open City boat trip guided by architect Benedict O’Looney and … Henrietta Billings!

Big thanks for the invitation, Open City!

Listen now on Spotify or search The Brief from Open City on all the usual podcast platforms.