Part one: Housing
'Boswell'
type houses were constructed from prefabricated reinforced concrete instead
of brick - a measure adopted to save money on building
materials and to build the houses more quickly. The design, patented by the
Liverpool city Engineer, John Alexander Brodie, was developed by M.A. Boswell
& Co of Wolverhampton (hence the name Boswell house) and were largely built
on the 'Boot' section of Norris Green - named because Henry Boot was the contractor
for this part of the estate.
Due to inherent design defects, serious structural problems were soon discovered with the Boswell houses, and by the 1980s, after many years of literally papering over the cracks, the problems became critical. In many of the properties, the poor standard of concrete that had been used in the construction had been deteriorating over the years. Cracks and holes in the concrete began to appear, allowing moisture into the walls of the houses and attack the metal building reinforcements, which began to rust. By 1985 all Boswells were declared defective under the Housing Act and they were no longer mortgageable*.
By spring 2005, of the 1,509
properties, approximately 600 had been demolished and 440 were in the process
of being demolished**. The vast
empty spaces were the Boswells once stood are now returning back to nature,
grass and weeds now flourish where concrete once stood. But not for long as
according to the Council,
'new development on the estate will consist of 195 residential units together
with associated highways and infrastructure. The development east of Lewisham
Road will consist of 90 social housing units for rent which will be managed
by Cobalt Housing Association.'
*A Brief history of Norris Green, Vinny Timmins
**Liverpool City Council
Until the early 1990's, Liverpool City Council was the main supplier of rented accommodation in the city. Changes in Government policy meant that housing associations became an alternative. The tenants of Norris Green were given the choice of retaining the City Council as their landlords, or to transfer ownership to the Colbalt Housing Association.
The tenants voted 'yes' to the stock transfer and in February 2003, Cobalt Housing officially became the landlord to the council houses of Norris Green. Cobalt have promised to invest £100 million on housing in Norris Green, Fazakerley, Sparrow Hall, Croxteth and Gillmoss.
The money will be spent raising the standard of homes that have been neglected for many years. Double-glazing, better central heating, modern kitchens and bathrooms are just some of the improvements planned. Others include better services for older and disabled people living in the area.
For further details on Cobalt and the stock transfers, look at the following links: