As Your Move takes a first look inside the renovation of a series of historic Georgian properties in Liverpool’s Canning area, experts says Georgian properties worth over half a million pounds are becoming hot property in the city’s housing market.

From waterfront apartments to rural retreats, suburban semis to student digs, Liverpool’s housing market is an eclectic mix of accommodation styles. But new development in one of the city’s most historic areas is bringing a unique and often overlooked gem of Liverpool living back to life.

Canning Street

The Georgian Quarter in Liverpool boasts one of the largest collections of terraced Georgian town houses outside of London. Taking in streets such as Rodney Street, Catherine Street and Falkner Street in the city centre, and Percy Street in Toxteth, it has become a hotspot for television companies filming everything from Hollywood blockbusters to TV dramas against the backdrop of the buildings, while restaurants and cafes are blossoming in the area.

However, with many of the Georgian homes themselves having fallen under council ownership over 50 years ago and others left to fall into disrepair, the area has relied on student schemes and social housing to keep the properties standing.

A major scheme to restore 23 of the properties on Falkner Street is the latest to bring the homes back into the private sector, as developer Hollinwood Homes is renovating the four and five-bedroom homes in the Philharmonic Rise scheme. A show home has yet to be launched (although one is expected this summer) but that has not discouraged buyers.

Priced at around £500,000, the appetite among buyers for the historic properties is growing. When the first restored Georgian homes at Philharmonic Rise went on sale last year they were instantly snapped up and the second phase of release saw all but two sold.

Demand is high for the remaining properties in the scheme, according to Frances Lyons of City Residential, which is marketing the properties on behalf of Hollinwood Homes.

“People love them because they are period properties,” she says. “When we launched we were looking mainly at families but we’ve had a really nice mixture of buyers from families to young professionals to people buying their last home. It’s good for the area and we’re seeing so much regeneration and so much interest from people.”

Philharmonic Rise

Philharmonic Rise is not the first scheme to restore Georgian homes in the area. Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT) worked with commercial property developer, Atrium, to renovate the Grade II-listed 2 Canning Street into five apartments in 2013 and on nearby Percy Street, Liverpool City Council and Sanctuary Housing Group are seeking developers to renovate five Georgian properties that have fallen into disrepair.

Simon Taylor of the Georgian Group, a charity that campaigns to save and restore Georgian properties, is not surprised by demand for the homes.

“Even £600,000 for a Georgian terrace house is peanuts,” he says. “Georgian houses are the crème de la crème. They work with a modern style or restored with antique furniture and original features because they’re such elegant spaces. Liverpool is very fortunate because it still has a large stock waiting to be acquired.”

Simon should know: back in 2003 he was an early investor in the city’s Georgian heritage, buying a Georgian terraced home on Canning Street. He has been converting it ever since, painstakingly restoring original features such as plasterwork and neoclassical-style walls.

He has since campaigned to bring various properties back into private ownership, and the terrace next door to his is now also being renovated. The Georgian Group believes private ownership is the key to reviving the city’s Georgian Quarter and that is something that is beginning to happen.

Canning Street

“Listed building such as these are best owned by people who do it through choice because they will want to look after them,” Simon explains.

“It’s a slow process but the momentum is building and we want to reach a critical mass of private owners. It’s very encouraging, preserving these houses is our goal and it is to be encouraged.”

The benefits to the area are obvious. Frances Lyons of City Residential says Philharmonic Rise has “done wonders for the area”, while more renovation could bring more business to the area.

“The homes add to the vibrancy of the area and the more we see the greater diversity of businesses it will attract,” says Simon. “We’ve got some excellent restaurants and cafes but it would be nice to see bookshops, furniture shops and other things because people want to patronise them.”

The result, says Simon, will be happy homeowners: “They are lovely, airy just superb designs. For investors or people who just want to live in them, they are glorious houses.”

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