Work on the £60m Edge Lane project in Liverpool has ground to a halt after local campaigners served an injunction blocking demolition of houses in the area.
Liverpool Land Development Company, which is overseeing the work, had planned to start demolition at the Edge Lane West part of the scheme yesterday but was forced to stop before work could begin.
The organisation and its partners, Liverpool city council and English Partnerships, received an injunction over the weekend from solicitors acting on behalf of Edge Lane resident Elizabeth Pascoe.
Pascoe, a campaigner and local resident, last month successfully overturned a council compulsory purchase order on her home in the High Court.
The demolition yesterday was to have involved 265 houses already owned by the council following CPOs, which were unaffected by the High Court ruling.
The overall scheme involves the demolition of 370 houses to allow for the widening of Edge Lane around St Cyprian’s Church.
The notoriously congested route is the main gateway from Liverpool city centre to the M62.
Ian Hassall, development director of Liverpool Land Development Company, said: “We are aware that an injunction has been served to prevent the demolition of derelict properties on Edge Lane.
“We are currently consulting with our lawyers and considering the implications of this injunction and the options open to us and our partners.”
A spokeswoman for LLDC said she was unable to comment about when work may begin because of the ongoing legal situation.
References: EGi News 31/10/06
