A derelict Grade II-listed fire station and a Victorian pub in Kensington have been converted into homes for first-time buyers.

Several attempts to save the former fire station on Durning Road, and the adjacent Shipperies Pub, have been made over the years before Liverpool City Council handed the site over to Riverside as part of its scheme to deliver more than 5,000 new houses.

The housing association was able to renovate the buildings with the help of £250,000 funding from the Homes and Communities Agency before converting the two buildings into five homes under its ‘Own Place’ scheme.

Own Place is a scheme that allows people to become owner occupiers by bringing back into use long-term empty properties that are in need of substantial investment.

Ian Gregg, Riverside’s director of asset management, says: “A shortage of affordable homes is pushing house prices and private rents out of reach for the average person in Merseyside. This combined with low wage growth makes it ever more difficult to save for a deposit.

“The beauty of Own Place is that because the properties are sold at a 25% discounted rate of market value, buyers only need to secure a 75% loan to value mortgage so no deposit is required.”

Ann O’Byrne, deputy mayor of Liverpool, adds: “Not only does Own Place bring empty homes back into use but by selling properties to people willing to stay in an area and invest in the homes, it’s helping shift the balance from private renters to owner-occupier, resulting in more sustainable communities.”

Homes at The Shipperies will start from £120,000.

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