At 15 stories high Vine House in Seaforth casts a long shadow over the terraced roofs of Kelper Street and Lime Grove.
Once tightly packed with families, the looming tower has now fallen into ruin. The corrugated façade and broken glass have become an all too familiar sight for neighbours on the street who have labelled it an "eyesore that needs tearing down".
Vine House has been empty for 19 years and in 2009 Wrightchoice Developments set out plans to rejuvenate the building. The firm promised to strip the 1960s tower block to its shell and create affordable homes.
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However, Wrightchoice went into liquidation in 2011 and the project was abandoned and Vine House was transferred back into the hands of Sefton Council. A faint glimmer of hope presented itself in 2017 when Signature Living, owned by hotel developer Lawrence Kenwright sought to buy the tower but once again the plans never came to fruition.
Five years on and nothing has changed the tower block still remains empty and locals claim that "rats as big as cats" have now taken up residency in the building. One woman who did not wish to be identified told the ECHO : "It's awful. Full of rats. Full of dead birds and everyone just comes and dumps their rubbish here.
"Things fall off it all the time. It needs to change and there are rats as big as cats in there now. They are in the back gardens they are in the entries.
"I don't like the tower block. It is disgrace. They can't knock it down. There are too many houses here so what are they going to do with it?"
In 2013 staff at Our Lady Star of the Sea primary school, which is next to Vine House, stated that it had become a refuge for rats and squatters with pupils from the school even writing letters of complaint to the council over the tower block.
Jackie Heart who has lived next to Vine House for the last 20 years said: "It could be done up and given to refugees and homeless people to get them off the streets.
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"That block of flats could be made useful if only the money was put into it. I used to live in one of them so I understand the need for affordable housing so it does not bother me that they are there. I just want to see something done with them. People say it's an eyesore so let's do something about it."
Family homes line Kelper Street leading up to the tower which stands imposingly at the bottom of the road. Metal fencing has been placed around the building in an effort to deter anti-social behaviour.
However, neighbours have reported kids "jumping the fence" to get inside the building and one woman said that she had seen squatters in the tower recently. Sarah a mother of five whose garden sits behind Vine Tower said: "It's a waste and they are just up for nothing.
"They either need to be knocked down and create some green space for people, because there is nothing like that around here, or give it to people in need. But it's the rats I can't stand. You just see them running down the street they are awful.
"I think because we live close to the docks and the train tracks we are bound to get some in the area but the tower does not help. It's been empty for years and it's become a breeding ground. My dog even caught one the other day."
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Vine House has been identified by Sefton Council as a potential asset for future sale, with the hope that any new owner would be able to regenerate the premises accordingly. The presence of pests such as rats in a residential area can be caused by a number of factors, including fly-tipped rubbish, inappropriately disposed food waste, and defective drains.
“Sefton’s Pest Control team recently visited the area and we can confirm that sewers in the vicinity of Kepler Street & Lime Grove have been baited.”
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