It’s been the biggest exodus since the parting of the Red Sea. Students in Liverpool quitting cosy suburban terraces and heading for the Promised Land of all-new city centre crash pads.
The lure of being in blurry-eyed walking distance of lecture theatres, coupled with dusk-till-dawn night life on the doorstep, has proved too much for thousands of under graduates at the city's three universities.
But the great exodus to the thousands of new units springing up all over town has had a downside: properties in the districts, particularly Wavertree, looking for new tenants. Now, with the summer holidays, it's oh so quiet.
The solution: a ban on landlords putting “To Let" notices outside vacant properties.
A pilot scheme comes into force on Monday as a voluntary measure, with threats of making it legal if property owners fail to observe the rule.
It follows concerns raised by residents in the Greenbank ward about the number of boards, due to the fact the area has traditionally had a large student population and a significant proportion of privately rented accommodation.
According to the city council, the belief is the To Let boards are having a detrimental impact on the sustainability of the housing market in the area.
In its comminique the council says: “The city council has written to estate agents and landlords asking them to remove the boards. If necessary, the council does have the power to apply to the Secretary of State for permission to prohibit the use of boards.”
Cllr Frank Hont, cabinet member for housing, said: “Local residents are concerned about the impact that the boards are having on the area. We have been happy to listen and work with them to take action to introduce a pilot scheme which we hope will address the issue. So far we have had a broadly positive and constructive response from agents and landlords.”
Kris Cargill from the Dales Residents Association added: “Some of the roads in our area have dozens of boards stretching for as far as the eye can see, and they often remain up long after a property has been let. We have a lot of complaints from residents because they give the impression that the area is a place where nobody wants to live, when in actual fact we are a strong community. We hope this scheme will remove these eyesores and make our area more attractive.”
Greenbank councillor, Laura Robertson-Collins, who put forward the idea of the ban to the city council said: “I am really pleased that we are able to take action to tackle the concerns of local residents by introducing this pilot scheme.”
The area covered by the new zone is bounded by Gainsborough Avenue (evens side only), Smithdown Road and the railway line and includes:
• Blantyre Road
• Barrington Road
• Claremont Road
• Kenmare Road
• Avondale Road
• Brookdale Road
• Ferndale Road
• Langdale Road
• Nithsdale Road
• Foxdale Road
• Airdale.Road
• Borrowdale Road
• Lidderdale Road
• Patterdale Road
• Weardale Road
• Garmoyle Road
• Lawrence Road (part)
