After ignoring a listed building enforcement notice for five years, Woolton Developments One Ltd has been found guilty of allowing a historic Grade II listed building, St Gabriels, to fall into ruin. Liverpool City Council prosecuted the building company and has been awarded £80,000 in fines. This is the first case of its kind won by the council and sets a precedent for any future cases of neglected historic buildings in the city.
St Gabriels is a late Georgian mansion that was once used as a nursery and convent. Due to poor security, the site had also been accessed by vandals over the years, with reports of at least three fires. As a result of the decay to the building, a listed building enforcement notice was issued in May 2017, however, an appeal extended the time period for replacing some of the key architectural features of the building which had been lost.
Despite written notice and instructions from the Council, Woolton Developments One Ltd, which has one company director, a Mr William Rogers, did not appear in court. After hearing submissions from a representative of the Council’s Legal Services department, District Judge Healey concluded that “the company’s culpability was high due to their lack of engagement, both in terms of the notice compliance and the court proceedings.” He explained that this case involved a valuable community asset that the company had allowed – and continues to allow – to deteriorate.
Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, welcomed the verdict, saying “If they fail to honour their permission and responsibilities, we will be coming after you.” The £80,000 fine reflects the severity of the neglect of what is a community asset that has sadly been allowed to rot and become a blot on the landscape. This successful prosecution also supports the great work of council planning and legal teams to encourage development in the city, but also to protect the city’s historic assets
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