The Community in the Bakery. Talking about the CLT.
Community Land Trusts are more than a bit of a thing for me at the moment. Granby 4 Streets last week and every week. And now here we are in Homebaked in Anfield.
You can’t possibly have been around this blog for long without knowing of my respect and admiration for the people of Anfield and their magnificent achievement in getting their community Bakery going just across the road from Liverpool Football Club. Holding the heart of the community together these last several years as chaos and demolition have reigned all around them. What you might not have known is that Homebaked are a community land trust as well, and that’s what we’re here to talk about.
Before that, a quick look round the neighbourhood.
Even now much of Anfield is well settled and loved streets of terraced houses.
The kind I live in, the kind thousands of Liverpool people live in. A classic design that has weathered bad times, good times and two world wars.
But has had more than a bit of trouble from the football club down the road.
As well as, of course, from the ‘Housing Market Renewal Initiative’ (HMRI) that’s caused so many of the cities of the North so much grief. We’ll see some of the damage done shortly.
While we walk around the outside of the football ground to Homebaked.
After years of ownership changes and prevarication, Liverpool FC have decided to remain where they are but expand the ground.
The prevarication itself has caused the area considerable blight. And now the decision to stay has cost the community more homes and land.
Beyond the Shankly Gates, where Lothair Road used to be.
The facing half of Alroy Road is also gone.
Nevertheless, and it must be said, the football club is deeply revered around here.
And better days are coming soon?
They better had be because the place couldn’t stand much more of this.
Or this, round in Rockfield Road.
And in fact now the doubting time is over there are clear signs of recovery.
Here in Rockfield Road itself.
And around the area generally.
At least over this side of Walton Breck Road, where the ground is, there wasn’t wholesale demolition. The other side of Walton Breck and Oakfield Roads though is a different story.
Here HMRI happened and many whole streets have gone.
And we’ll be having a much closer look at what’s not here and memories of growing up, very soon, in our second Walk with Jayne.
And though there is new building happening now, there’s a lot of space still to fill before the new community reaches Walton Breck and Oakfield Roads.
Which brings us to Homebaked, on Oakfield Road.
Next to the Bakery are the houses the CLT had wanted to refurbish.
But Liverpool City Council have now confirmed they intend to demolish them.
So local people are gathering here today to start talking about design.
Design of new buildings, homes and maybe some shop spaces, plus possibly some of the land out at the back of the Bakery.
This is just a start. The second chapter of the Homebaked Story.
Britt gets us going, been part of Homebaked pretty well from the beginning.
Carolyn talks about the CLT.
About community ownership of the land and having a tangible stake in the future of Anfield.
Carolyn, Cal Starr, is now working two days a week to get the Homebaked Community Land Trust moving. In fact, in a week’s time the CLT will be interviewing architects to work with them. Which is why we’re all here today.
Particularly being guided by architect and friend Marianne Heaslip from URBED.
Marianne and I worked out that we’ve known each other since 2002. She’s been involved in Granby as well as Homebaked for the last few years. And you’ve seen her on this blog before, part of the team of us who ran the Places by Design programme I’ve written about so fondly.
Discussions are intense.
Marianne takes everyone through balancing the basics – time, quality and cost.
While a baking course goes on in the background there.
Four year old Eliza, helped by regular blog contributor Cathy Alderson, chips in her own ideas.
And her own designs.
As we all work towards a brief for beginning work with the architects.
Serious work that makes us hungry.
Just as well we’re in a bakery then!
Where the smell of fresh bread is all around us.
And there is cake.
So we take a bit of time off to eat.
Which gives me an opportunity to run a commercial interlude. We are in Homebaked. A community business, but very definitely a business.
Here’s what they are and what they do.
So bakery, CLT, catering, markets, venue hire, classes, workshops and wholesale – from the heart of Anfield, for wherever you are.
And six days of the week you can come in here, buy things and generally give yourself a better life.
There’s the phone number. So get in touch. Homebaked, simply brilliant.
Commercial over it’s back to work.
Jayne Lawless in the background there writing up the architect’s brief as we talk.
Dreams, experience and possibilities.
Forms, functions and feelings?
Going through the whole of the design process.
So the people of the place will drive the design process along with the professionals they’ll need to take on.
First draft done.
Though there’ll need to be loads more talk before that’s finished.
Particularly to incorporate Eliza’s wishes.
“Ducks, swings, slides, plants, flowers, fish and aliens!”
Before we finish we do a practical exercise about interviewing architects where I enjoy myself play-acting several architect archetypes! Obviously I couldn’t photograph any of that but if anyone else did happy to include them here!
A great day and thank you all for having me there. Go well you Homebaked Community Land Trust. I’ll be back regularly now, to help and also help you tell this new story.
And where might you come in? Well if you want to get involved with the Homebaked CLT and think you might want to come and live in Anfield, then contact Britt Jurgensen from Homebaked to talk on 0798 156 1875, or email hello@homebaked.org.uk
Meanwhile?
Outside in the street people come and go, talking of Phillipe Coutinho. (No apologies, TS Eliot!)
Mightily gobsmacked to see this. I was only vaguely aware of the bakery, it’s closed when I go past on the 17. But it’s been asserting itself online. Yesterday a couple of friends tweeted from there and today I walked past on my way up to Everton Brow. I hadn’t walked round here for years (usually drive or I’m on the bus or I’m heading the other way towards Breck Road) so it came as a bit of a shock to see the open spaces and fenced off roads where there used to be terraced houses.
Yes, thanks to Homebaked, the end of HMRI and the fact that things are calming down now LFC have decided what they’re doing, things are improving. But the destruction has been immense and me and local artist Jayne Lawless will be having a look at some of that on our walk any week now.
great. looking forward to that.
This is so great, Ronnie, to see that the work we all did developing ‘Places by Design’ is still helping people. Brilliant too, that you are still involved. I am sure that the people of Anfield will be more than a match for the architects and with their knowledge and skills will deliver their message with more clarity, eloquence and force than ever.
A shining example of what can be done and a testament to the tenacity and determination of Liverpool people to hold out for what they want in a place that they love. Can’t wait to see what happens at the next stages. Would love to have been there to see you role playing an architect!!!
Thanks Lindsay, it was a privilege to be there. And actually I was 3 different architects!
An old schoolfriend forwarded this to me – what great work you’re doing. I grew up in Sunbury Road and there was a breadshop on the corner – on Saturday afternoons my best friend and I would buy a barm cake and eat it sitting on the wall of St Simon & St Jude (that too has disappeared!) to watch the weddings. Good to see the community spirit hasn’t disappeared too. Brenda Jones as was
Thanks Brenda. All credit to Homebaked and the people of Anfield for doing the work though!