The high-rise flats were built in the 1960s but have been empty for the last 22 years
Vine House abandoned tower block in Seaforth.(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Mystery continues to shroud a derelict and disused block of flats which has been taken over by ‘families of rats walking hand in hand’.
Vine House in Seaforth was first built during the high-rise boom of the 1960s but, like so many of those buildings, it fell into a state of disrepair after it closed down in 2003. The 14 storey high building has blighted the community for more than twenty years, becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour and infestations of vermin, with no clear plan on what will happen to it.
The site has been subject to various proposals over the years and is set for a major transformation, according to Sefton Council. However, at the time of writing, it is unclear what this will mean in practice.
Vine House casts a long shadow over Kepler Street where the local residents have become increasingly critical of the condition of the building and its impact on environmental health in the community. The corrugated façade and broken glass have become an all too familiar sight for neighbours on the street as well as concerns about the proliferation of rats.
Disused Vine House on Kepler Street just a few metres away from residential houses and the entrance to Our Lady Star Of The Sea R C Primary School(Image: LDRS)
The Liverpool ECHO visited the streets around Vine House in February and spoke to a Mr Monaghan who has lived in the area for twenty years, he said: “There’s all types of feral things running in and out of that block because it’s nice and warm and cosy for them and they’ve set up home. There’s families of rats walking arm in arm around here.”
During this time, the ECHO reported on a financial report into Sefton Council’s Capital Programme 2025/26 – 2027/28, presented at a cabinet meeting on Thursday February 13. It included a £1.5m proposal for demolition works at Vine House.
The report noted: “In the last three years works to Vine House have amounted to approximately £100,000. Over this period a potentially significant structural issue has also been identified affecting the external brick columns of the building where significant cracking has appeared.”
It continued: “A number of options were reviewed in September 2024 for the future of the building, including demolition which was determined to be the best option.”
However, the possibility of demolishing Vine House appears to be just one of a number of options now available to the local authority.
Vine House flats(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
At a Sefton Council Regeneration and Skills meeting last night (September 16), elected members were asked to review a report into the local authority’s ‘Community Assets Policy’. This sets out how the council can transfer assets in a ‘structured, transparent, and legally sound manner’ and takes into account its management strategy and its disposals policy.
One community asset was documented in the council reports and listed in its ‘Forward Plan’ for the work programme covering October 2025 to January 2026. The first item was an update on the council-owned asset, Vine House and a forthcoming decision on whether it will be sold.
This decision will be made at a Sefton Council cabinet meeting on October 2 after the original date of the hearing was postponed from September 4 due to ‘work ongoing with the asset disposal’.