Bill Richardson has lived in the Rockfield area for over twenty years. In that time has been witness to the area sadly declining, turning to dereliction and decay, whilst his community moved out of the area and the houses being left open to vandalism, robbery and arson.
“There has been a lack of investment for along time. Big houses were turned into flats and the area went down hill.People started to move out, places become derelict. I used to have to call the fire brigade five times a day.” “…we felt like this area had been forgotten, we used to call it ‘Little Beirut’ it had been so neglected”.
Bill, who today passed the responsibility of being Chairman of the Rockfield Residents Association to local Frank Hill today, has been fighting to save the area from demolition for the past eight years.Throughout that period he has always made his and the other remaining occupier’s in the area feelings clear:
“The whole trend nowadays seems to be to demolish old houses and re-build boring little matchbox houses which most people really don’t want. We have got beautiful housing stock in this city, quality Victorian houses which are being pulled down everyday and it’s a real shame.Projects like AHDCs can stop that happening and that is why we have fought to get this scheme off the ground”.
Living in the area Bill has the good fortune of seeing the area transformed day by day and he is regularly seen on site at Tancred Road.When the AHDC Show House was first opened, Bill was one of the first to view it. “I walked in and I just thought ‘Wow’, this is fantastic!”“I never thought one of these houses would ever look like this again. We’ve lived with the dereliction and blight for so long that at times it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.This house is the tangible evidence that it can be done, and I think it will raise a lot of spirits”.
Without Bill’s continual support as well as the other members of the RRA and of course their partners, (Liverpool City Council, Arena Housing, New Heartlands and the Housing Corporation), AHDC could not achieve the transformation of Tancred Road and what will soon be within the whole of the Rockfield area.
“With thanks….to Bill Richardson for his confidence in our vision and abilities, for his continual support and sheer determination in getting the project off the ground”
- Ian Robinson (Chief Executive of AHDC)
