Opposition leaders in Liverpool have spoken out after an ECHO investigation into a block of flats in Toxteth following a possible "illegal eviction attempt".
The investigation into Parliament Place came after residents contacted the ECHO after initially being told to leave the 116-room block of flats due to a "fire safety issue."
It later emerged the freeholder, Isle of Man-based Schloss Roxburghe Holdings Ltd, was negotiating with Serco as part of a Home Office scheme to house people seeking asylum.
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Residents also got in touch with their local MP Kim Johnson who in turn contacted Liverpool Council. Interim chief executive Theresa Grant said the council was investigating the move to get residents out of the block as a "possible illegal eviction attempt" - an investigation which is still ongoing.
People living there had also spoken of issues with disrepair at the block, which is managed by Urban Evolution. The company's CEO, Ross Spencer said the company was "proud" of its track record in dealing with repair issues at the block.
People living nearby had also complained about parking issues in the streets around Parliament Place after the block was built with no car parking provision for its 116 residents.
Planning permission had been granted for the site in 2015 after Parliment [sic] Place Ltd applied to build 116 flats at the site.
It also emerged that Parliment Place Ltd had acquired the site from Liverpool Council in 2016 while the block was being built under a delegated decision overseen by then head of regeneration Nick Kavanagh for £18,000.
The site was later transferred from Parliment Place Ltd in 2020 to another of its owner Elliot Lawless's companies, 1DOM Ltd, just one week before the company went into administration amid claims leaseholders were owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid rent.
According to reports filed with Companies House, administrators disputed the legality of the land transfer, claiming it had been undervalued, was a preference payment, a "transaction to defraud creditor" and "not legally" carried out. Mr Lawless disputed these claims and said the land transfer had been carried out legally with fair consideration with regards to the price.
While administrators were attempting to get information about the deal, a charge was placed on the land by Isle of Man based company Collateral Investments Ltd which later changed its name to Schloss Roxburghe. Holdings Ltd. It acquired the site in December 2021, with the price paid stated as £400,000.
Schloss Roxburghe Holdings Ltd is owned by the Schloss Roxburghe Foundation, which in turn is owned by another Isle of Man based company, Prime Management Ltd according to a spokesperson for both Schloss Roxburghe and Prime Management.
Prime Management is in turn owned by another Isle of Man based company, the Regent Foundation. The ultimate ownership of that foundation is not made public due to companies laws and the ECHO has been unable to ascertain its ownership.
Opposition leaders have spoken out about the revelations, with many of the issues identified with Parliament Place mirroring others referred to in the Caller Report, which was released following a best practice review by government appointed commissioner Max Caller.
Parliament Place was one of the 65 sites Caller looked at, although no specific recommendations regarding the site were noted in the report.
Leader of the opposition, Liberal Democrat Cllr Carl Cashman, said the situation at Parliament Place was a "damning indictment of how the Labour party ran Liverpool city council and in turn how that affected resident's lives."
Referring to the land deal between Liverpool Council and Mr Lawless he said: "£18k for land that is worth nearly half a million does not seem like an administrative error."
He said: "The many councillors in the Labour party that ran the council at the time should apologise to the residents of Parliament Place."
Speaking about the apparent eviction attempt, Cllr Cashman added: "Many companies that hold the freehold of flats and apartments in our city feel that they can do as they please and the council does nothing. We need more action, not words from the council and powers from the government to tackle these rogue companies and developers.’
Community Independent Leader Cllr Alan Gibbons said: "Liverpool has become a byword for property deals like this. Residents deserve better."
In addition, he said: "Highways work carried out ‘without supervision,’ development carried out prior to planning permission, a block completed without any provision of parking, water pouring through ceiling lights, delayed repairs, fire safety concerns, now the threat of illegal evictions.
"Residents at the block and their neighbours have endured avoidable distress. There should be a thorough investigation of how this situation developed and lessons, particularly related to planning, must be learned.”
Leader of the Greens Tom Crone also called for lessons to be learned, stating the development not only highlights "past issues here in Liverpool" as referenced in the Caller report, but also "a national property market which has made housing into an investment for people to try to profit from rather than a way to provide people with decent secure homes."
Cllr Crone said: "The original planning decision where approval was granted without adequate section 106 provisions has led to issues for existing residences.
"As a Green I don't believe that providing car parking should always be insisted on as part of a development, but a responsible authority would have known that there would be impacts and called for mitigation, such as a residents parking scheme or improved public transport provision.
"This country urgently needs housing reform, and an ambitious house building programme with local authorities empowered to take action against irresponsible management companies.
"Liverpool needs to learn the lessons of the past and start building high quality developments which will support thriving communities."
Liverpool Council said it was unable to comment due to ongoing investigations.
The Labour Group declined to comment.
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