A stalled housing development site in Vauxhall, on the outskirts of Liverpool city centre, has become a target for fly tippers who have taken advantage of fallen security fencing and the apparent neglect of the area. The land, between Blackstock Street and Paul Street and opposite the corner of St Bartholomew Road, is now an eyesore littered with heavy duty rubbish, discarded household goods and mounds of crumbling masonry.
Liverpool City Council (LCC) has confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into the fly tipping and that it is actively pursuing the landowners about the issue.
Approved plans for 310 flats
Until recently, the site had an approved planning application to develop more than 300 new flats. The Scholars Court project was supposed to create 'luxury apartments', new gardens, parking facilities and secure cycle storage for residents.
The land was purchased in 2020 for £225,000 by a company called Kingsway Square Limited, according to documents sourced from Land Registry, and is owned by Joanne Waller.
Company collapse and debts
According to Companies House, Kingsway is now subject to an insolvency case, which commenced in September 2024, with administrators appointed in the same month. The latest administrator's report in April this year shows Kingsway Square Limited owed a total of £13.2m to creditors at the time of its collapse.
The latest planning application for the site was submitted in the summer of 2023 by a company called Sourced Development Group, picking up the reins of a previously approved application to build residential blocks containing a total of 310 new homes. However, in August 2025, Liverpool Council issued an Article 40 Disposal notice, officially closing down the application and removing it from its active register.
Sourced Development Group (SDG) operated as a central services company for a number of associated property development companies, principally involved in apartment developments in the Liverpool area. Documents on Companies House show the firm is also owned by Joanne Waller, and entered compulsory liquidation on December 9 last year, following a petition lodged by a trade supplier.
Mark Ranson and Emma Mifsud of Opus Restructuring & Insolvency were appointed Joint Liquidators of Sourced Development Group Limited on January 8 this year, replacing the Official Receiver, with Opus appointed as the administrators. Opus confirmed creditor claims totalling approximately £459,000 have been received by the Joint Liquidators, who are continuing their investigations into the circumstances surrounding the company's failure.
Uncertain future for the site
It is now unclear what will become of the land in Vauxhall, which is situated on the outskirts of Liverpool city centre and in an area associated with the Pumpfields regeneration project, including plans to develop thousands of new homes, parks and improved transport connections.
In relation to the condition of the site, including the broken security fencing, the fly tipping problem and its impact on the local community, LCC was contacted to ask whether it was aware of the problems and what it could do to address them. A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "This is not our land but we have resecured the fencing. There is an ongoing investigation into the fly tipping and we are pursuing the landowners over the accumulated waste on the site."
