June 14 2005

A TV series to be broadcast by the BBC in September will further fuel debate about the fate of Liverpool’s tenement stock. How To Rescue A House will look at derelict and empty properties around the UK. The BBC has just filmed programmes in Aberdeenshire, Nottingham and North London and are currently helping a resident from L8 find a 3 to 4 bedroom property in the Toxteth area. Unlike most renovation programmes until now How To Rescue A House will not deal with the sale or indeed renovation programme.

“We will help one participant in each of the eight half-an-hour episodes identify the property they want and then go about helping her find out who owns it and how to buy it,” said Tessa Carey, Assistant Producer of the series. The news follows sharp criticism amongst community developers in Liverpool following a Tonight with Trevor MacDonald programme, broadcast on Friday May 20, which aimed to “keep the bulldozer’s at bay.” Developers attempted to renovate a house for £18,000 but failed. The cost came to £24,350.

The programme asked the question “can we renovate a doomed house?” and did so with a 125 year-old tenement in Dingle in Liverpool for only 20% more than the demolition costs. However, Andrea Titterington, Programme Director of the New Anfield project, claimed that it would require a budget of around £70,000 to restore a tenement in the Anfield area to a marketable standard. “They didn’t factor in purchase costs of the property, nor costs for infrastructure improvement across the area. It was tabloid television,” she said.
Tonight With Trevor MacDonald did reveal that although 10,000 properties would be demolished across the North of England, as part of Pathfinder, 24,000 properties were being renovated. The BBC insist that unlike ITN’s show, their series will not have a political focus.

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