Community ownership: our vision has always been bigger than one row of terraces
Oakfield Terrace. Photo credit: Mark Loudon
We know many of you have been waiting for an update on the terraced properties in our neighbourhood – so here it is, along with our thoughts on what comes next.
A quick recap
You may remember our years-long work to develop the houses in Oakfield Terrace into a thriving new cluster of homes and business spaces, which we’ve worked on since 2019 – and was initially delayed by challenges at Liverpool City council, Brexit-fuelled cost increases and Covid-19. While we progressed the project throughout 2023, Liverpool City Council decided to change tack and put the terrace up for sale on the open market in December 2024. We put in a bid to buy them in Summer 2025 when the Council marketed them. We were informed in January 2026 that our bid was successful and we are awaiting further information and feedback.
What's happened with Oakfield Terrace?
Following the council's decision to market 52 empty properties they owned across Liverpool – including Oakfield Terrace – we can confirm that all of them have now been sold to a Liverpool-based developer. Their offer exceeded £500,000 – roughly £10,000 per property, which is, frustratingly, in line with what we put forward ourselves for the nine properties that make up Oakfield Terrace.
We’ll be honest: we’re disappointed. Not just because of this particular outcome, but because of how the process has been – again with more delays and poor communication. Despite asking several times, we haven’t been told who the developer is, or what this means for Oakfield Terrace.
From what we do know – via a Facebook post from Councillor Nick Small – the current plans include 20 properties earmarked for sale, 17 for market rent and 15 to be leased back to the Council . Although the future of the nine properties that make up the terrace on Oakfield Road remains unclear, these plans fall short of achieving the level of affordable homes our community needs. We'll be watching closely to ensure that the promised protections around HMOs and Airbnb are put in, and remain in place.
Where we stand
Since discovering our bid for the terrace was unsuccessful, we met with Cllr. Nick Small and Cllr. Hetty Wood, Cabinet Member for Housing to make the case for community ownership as a core principle in any regeneration plans for the city – not as a ‘nice-to-have’, but as the only way to guarantee long-term affordability and local benefit. We’ve also made clear that we’re open to meeting with the developer, with the aim of sharing what we’ve learned and making sure the community’s voice is heard. As landlord of the building next door, we also have tenants to look out for and minimising disruption to them remains a priority.
But this was never just about one row of terraces.
The CLT vision has always been neighbourhood-wide – an alternative way of regenerating our community that puts local needs and aspirations first and refuses to compromise on quality or affordability. Not just now, but for good. Community ownership means that whatever is built, whoever moves in and whatever changes over the decades ahead, the community retains a say. That principle doesn't change because of one setback.
Yes, this is a missed opportunity. The current financial system makes it genuinely hard for community-led organisations to compete with external investors, particularly in areas where low market values make the economics of developing well an uphill struggle. That’s a systemic problem and it’s one we'll keep naming loudly.
What next?
But there are other opportunities. We have a couple of irons in the fire that we’re actively exploring and we’ll share more as things develop. The work continues – and our purpose and vision remains exactly what it’s always been: to make our neighbourhood somewhere we can all live well. Alongside the bricks and mortar, we have a varied programme of community activity, from our litter picks to new skills and training development, cosy homes and our role in the Anfield Improvement District. We’ll carry on being the glue, creating and supporting the invisible infrastructure that will make this area thrive – even if it remains invisible a lot of the time.
Tom Murphy is Homebaked CLT’s coordinator. “Community ownership is the only way to ensure this neighbourhood is regenerated on its own terms,” he says. “And we're not going anywhere. We’re from here, we’re in this for the long term…”
We'll keep you updated as things progress. If you have questions or want to get involved, get in touch.