The Eldonians of Liverpool

Background

What was the problem?

In 1976, Liverpool City Council had identified 57 slum clearance areas across the city including most of the 1930s tenements from the south end to the city centre and through to the docklands area in the north. Areas marked for demolition included the tenements around the Burlington and Eldon Streets in the Vauxhall area, affecting some 1,500 people. These plans were not based on any consultation with those who lived in these communities.

This would mean breaking up the existing community, with the residents being offered re-housing across the city, usually in high-rise blocks on the outskirts. Most of the people living in the Vauxhall area of Liverpool had already survived bombing during the war, the loss of industry from the docks and the building of the Mersey Tunnel. They were now witnessing the loss of most of the nearby neighbourhoods where the people went along with the Council's plans.

What action was taken?

With help from their local Catholic priest, the residents called a meeting and demanded an explanation from their local Councillors. The key question was 'Who gave you authority to say that these tenements should come down?' The participants organised a survey asking the wider community how they felt about the redevelopment plans, and what they themselves wanted. The vast majority said they wished to remain in their community, but in new houses that they would control. In response to this, residents formed the Eldonian Community Association,invited professionals to work with them to plan new housing and quickly decided to 'take over the whole neighbourhood.' This meant planning for new housing, facilities, a new environment and training and jobs for local people; all under the control of the Eldonian organisation.

To enable these plans, the Eldonians formed a housing co-operative to build over 100 new houses for families in the Portland Gardens tenements. Plans were scuppered when the Labour Party won control of the Council in 1983. At that time, the Council was dominated by the Militant tendency, which supported municipal control of all aspects of public housing, and thus took over the co-op's houses.

There were still other tenements in the neighbourhood, namely at Eldon and Burlington Streets, and the Eldonians were determined to have their way. They established another housing co-op, the Eldonian Housing Co-op, to re-house those families that still wished to remain in the neighbourhood. They identified a nearby site large enough to accommodate the 145 families, being the site of the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery that shut down in 1981.

Impact

Building on success

Eldonian Housing Co-op worked together from1982 to 1989 to create the first phase of the Eldonian Village. They lobbied, argued, persuaded and charmed a Prime Minister, Secretaries of State, MPs, Bishops, local agencies, housing associations and various other organisations to secure their goal. Having achieved their first objective, they then created a second phase of the Village,including 'build for sale', a village hall, sports facilities, offices,elderly accommodation, a nursery, and their own social enterprise that owns and manages the Village.

The Eldonian Community Based Housing Association manages 523 properties and employs 30 staff. The Eldonian Group (Development Trust) owns and manages the facilities on site and offers consultancy services. It employs over 50 people.

What is special about this group?

The Eldonian Village is one of the UK's leading examples of a sustainable community, and is still growing.

The achievement is not just the scale of the physical regeneration, with all the new buildings and environmental re-ordering. What makes it remarkable is that the decisions, the early struggles, and the ongoing development all came from the residents themselves, who still provide the leadership.

The Eldonians' story stands out because of the enormity of the task facing them in the late 1970s, when community-based urban regeneration was relatively unknown.

Good Practice

What can be learned from this project?

The Eldonian Village found certain approaches to be particularly effective:

• Develop a vision: a clear vision of the ultimate goal must be developed and owned by all those involved.
• Create projects: funding bodies prefer to allocate resources to an ongoing programme of improvement.
• A clear focus: strong leadership within the community helps local organisations to stay focussed, and to remain determined in the face of setbacks.
• Be active in local politics: the Eldonians avoided becoming 'victims' of political decisions, by being politically active through their own Ward Party.
• Enlist professional help: the Eldonians sought the advice and help of professionals who were committed to their cause.
• Acquire local assets: the Eldonian organisation owns all its houses, the land and the facilities, which gives them significant influence.

• Initiate partnerships: it is important to be part of networks that lead to investment in the neighbourhood.
• Take stock: a successful neighbourhood organisation will take stock of where it is going and how well it is doing from time to time.
• Publicise success: communicating successes helps to attract new stakeholders and to show funders how investment is being well-spent.
• Knowledge sharing: keep in touch and develop alliance with like-minded organisations, in order to share and learn from other people's experiences.

Reference

To find out more

The Eldonian story is to be published in a book they commissioned. It was written by Jack McBane MBE, their first professional and will be published by Liverpool University Press in May/June 2008.

Title: The Rebirth of Liverpool: The Eldonian Way

The Eldonians website

The Tony McGann Centre Eldonian Village Liverpool L3 6LG

Tel: 0151-207-3406

Fax: 0151-298-1464

Email: mdragonette@eldonians.org.uk