Ringo Starr's birthplace could be saved after years of wrangling

Ringo Starr's former home on Madryn Street is among 200 that are being refurbished

Ringo Starr's Liverpool birthplace is likely to be saved after years of uncertainty and wrangling.

Liverpool City Council is being asked to approve proposals by developers Place First to demolish and refurbish terraces in the Welsh Streets district.

Some homes will be knocked together to appeal to families, while others will be knocked down.

Last year, then Communities Secretary Eric Pickles overturned his planning inspector's backing for a housing plan.

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The streets are known as Welsh Streets as they are named after the Welsh towns of the construction workers who built the terraces in the 19th Century.

Starr lived in the Welsh Streets before finding fame with The Beatles

Ringo Starr used to live at 9 Madryn Street - which is one of the 200 homes that would be refurbished.

Sources differ on how long Starr lived there, with some suggestions it was three years before his family moved to nearby Admiral Grove, where he was living as a teenager shortly before The Beatles found fame.

'Insult to injury'

Joe Anderson, Liverpool's Mayor, said 80% of residents backed the original plans for this area.

"As a result of the prevarication over this scheme from different outside interest groups, we have lost a £13m government grant," he said.

"However, given that the government has changed the planning rules we need to find a way forward in order to get this area sorted out as soon as possible and I am pleased we have been able to find a partner that is willing to look into taking on the Welsh Streets."

The Welsh Streets will be refurbished - with hundreds of properties also demolished

He said the residents "have been in limbo" for years after the Housing Market Renewal Initiative was axed.

"To add insult to injury, Eric Pickles then overturned his own planning inspector's decision on a subsequent scheme despite it being supported by the vast majority of the local community," he added.

Irene Milson, Chairwoman of the Welsh Streets Community Association, said: "This community has been waiting a long time for new homes and it is extremely frustrating that the previous scheme wasn't approved by the government.

"We await with interest the details of this new set of proposals and will make our decision based on progress over the next few months."

The report will be considered by the council's cabinet on 4 February.

In December, the city council dropped its legal challenge over the demolition of nearly 300 homes saying it wanted to avoid "protracted" legal action.

Liverpool's Welsh Streets in Dingle was once home to Starr, pictured here in The Beatles, although sources differ on how long he lived on Madryn Street