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Ringo Starr: former Beatle's birthplace saved after public backlash

Ringo Starr's childhood home will be saved following a campaign by Beatles fans, the housing minister Grant Shapps has announced, despite concerns he lived most of his life elsewhere.

The dilapidated three-bedroomed Victorian terrace at 9 Madryn Street in Liverpool has been under threat of demolition for several years under city council plans to improve the run-down area.

Starr, 71, whose real name is Richard Starkey, was born in the terraced property on July 7 1940 but his family moved away when he was still a baby.

It is one of more than 400 houses in the Dingle area of Liverpool, known locally as the Welsh Streets because they have Welsh names, which have been earmarked for demolition since 2005.

Last year Mr Shapps asked Liverpool City Council to halt the planned destruction of the properties while alternative schemes are considered.

Today he announced that more than £14 million of funding has now been earmarked to save homes in the area, which would ensure the "streets Ringo Starr grew up on will be preserved for years to come".

In a British first, the council has since agreed to give the local community an opportunity to take over and refurbish 16 of the properties on the street, which will gauge demand for property in the area.

He insisted that "rather than destroy swathes of housing indiscriminately, we have listened to the local community".

Speaking outside the house, he added in a statement heavy on Beatle puns: "Ringo Starr’s home is a significant beacon of Beatlemania, a bricks and mortar reminder of a hugely important influence on British music.

"But it’s also a lot more than that – a real example of communities having the power and voice to step in a save the places they treasure most.

“With the Help! of Liverpool residents we worked it out and Madryn street can be saved for the nation. Its future will now be in the hands of local residents – if they can make a success of this street then many more similar houses and streets could be saved."

He added : "I am delighted that Ringo Starr’s former childhood home is just one of 16 homes in the Welsh Streets that we’re saving from the bulldozers.

"Today presents a real opportunity for the local community to preserve and protect these properties for the future.

"I’ll be watching closely to see how the refurbishment of these 16 homes progresses, and how we can use this to prevent more homes from being demolished."

The announcement comes after the National Trust said his birthplace does not merit saving for the nation because the former Beatles drummer only lived there for three months.

The National Trust runs the Liverpool childhood homes of John Lennon – "Mendips" in Menlove Avenue – and Sir Paul McCartney – 20 Forthlin Road – as popular attractions for Beatles fans.

A spokesman for the Trust last month: “Unlike John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo resided at Madryn Street for a very brief period, early on in his life.

“Consequently the significance of the house in terms of musical influence or development was insignificant compared to Mendips and 20 Forthlin Road.

“History tells us that the Beatles lived in more than a dozen houses during their collective childhoods and it would not be realistic for the Trust to try and acquire all of these buildings.”

He added that no funds are in place to buy 9 Madryn Street and it is not certain that the house would generate enough money from visitors to cover all the costs of its future upkeep.

In 2010 English Heritage refused to grant Starr’s birthplace listed building status on the grounds that the drummer only lived there for a very short time, it had no associations with the Beatles’ success and was "not architecturally or historically significant enough".

SOURCE:  The Telegraph 

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