Key Points
- Best Care Liverpool Ltd has confessed it is currently trying to sell Aintree Fire Station in Longmoor Lane after being unable to afford the development of the premises.
- The 100-year-old fire station in Fazakerley closed by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) in May 2024 after the launch of a new £40m super station on Long Lane.
- MFRS sold the site to Best Care Liverpool Ltd for £650,000 after the care company suggested housing and office buildings but then resubmitted offices only plan which was approved in October 2024.
- According to Director Nora Darwin who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), planning problems have made the project “unnecessarily difficult and expensive” making it impossible for the firm to move forward.
- It can be seen from documents that there was 170 interested parties at the moment of station closure announcement with 44 taking part in the bidding process where 11 bids were put; Best Care offer was the highest one made unconditionally.
- Eddisons estate agents were hired to market the property, with the sale being listed in September 2023.
- At 71 years old Mrs Darwin confessed the firm is sad about being unable to provide housing due to the lack of them in the city and warns that offices permission with conditions may make resale harder.
- Best Care Liverpool Ltd is described as family care company founded in September 2018 by trained nurses in Knowsley, Liverpool and St Helens.
Liverpool Fire (Liverpool standard ) August 28, 2026 – A care company that wanted to turn Merseyside’s oldest fire station into new housing has admitted that it is now looking to sell the building. In January 2025, proposals were unveiled for the future of Aintree Fire Station on Longmoor Lane, but those plans have now stalled amid financial and planning pressures.
As Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) unveiled its new £40m super station on Long Lane, the 100-year-old site in Fazakerley was shut down in May 2024. MFRS sold the site to Best Care Liverpool Ltd, which had sought to convert it into offices and housing. After a housing plan was knocked back, the scheme was resubmitted to focus solely on new offices, which was accepted in October last year by Liverpool Council.
Why is Best Care Liverpool selling the fire station?
Director Nora Darwin told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the company is now looking to sell the building as “we now have a property that we cannot afford to develop”. Documents released by the MFRS authority policy and resources committee confirmed an offer of £650,000 was made by Best Care. Eddisons estate agents were appointed to market and sell the fire station, with the listing published in September 2023. Around 170 parties expressed an interest in taking on the station when its closure was first announced.
A total of 44 parties took part, leading to 11 bids. The highest offer was unconditional and made by Best Care Liverpool Ltd. According to its website, the firm is a “family-owned company, originally established in September 2018 by qualified nurses.” With experience in domiciliary and home care, it provides services in Knowsley, Liverpool, and St Helens.
What did Nora Darwin say about planning difficulties?
Mrs Darwin, 71, said, “We purchased the property with the intention of developing it into a worthwhile community and business project. Our plans included providing accommodation, offices and employment, as well as providing care services and creating jobs for local people. Unfortunately, our experience with the planning department has been so difficult, time-consuming and costly that we have now reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue with the project and are looking to sell the property.”
The director added that the company was disappointed to not receive planning permission for its housing proposals given the shortage in the city. She added,
“Our experience, however, has left us feeling that the process became unnecessarily difficult and costly. The consequence is that we now have a property that we cannot afford to develop.”
How could office-only permission affect resale?
“We are trying to sell it, but we have been told that having planning permission only for offices, together with the attached conditions, could make the property considerably harder to sell. This has potentially cost our company a great deal of money,” Mrs Darwin said.
“We also believe that the wider community has lost out. We wanted to create jobs, provide care services for local people and make productive use of a former fire station that is currently not delivering the benefits we originally intended.”
Background to the Aintree Fire Station development
The Aintree Fire Station on Longmoor Lane in Fazakerley was a century-old facility that served north Liverpool until Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service consolidated operations at its new £40m super station on Long Lane. The closure in May 2024 triggered a competitive disposal process managed by Eddisons estate agents, with the property formally listed in September 2023. The sale attracted significant market interest, with approximately 170 parties registering initial interest. Of those, 44 progressed to participate in the formal process, submitting a total of 11 bids. Best Care Liverpool Ltd emerged as the successful bidder with an unconditional offer of £650,000, the highest received.
Best Care Liverpool Ltd, founded in September 2018 by qualified nurses, operates domiciliary and home care services across Knowsley, Liverpool and St Helens. The company’s initial vision for the fire station included mixed-use development combining housing, offices and care facilities, aiming to generate local employment and community benefits. After the housing element was refused, an offices-only scheme gained approval from Liverpool Council in October 2024. However, the director has stated that cumulative planning costs and delays rendered the project financially unviable, prompting the decision to sell.
Prediction: What could this mean for local care providers and buyers?
The decision by Best Care Liverpool Ltd to sell Aintree Fire Station could have several implications for local care providers, property developers and the wider Fazakerley community. For care sector operators, the episode underscores the financial risks associated with repurposing historic public buildings, particularly where planning outcomes diverge from initial mixed-use ambitions. Firms considering similar acquisitions may now apply more stringent due diligence to planning pathways and cost projections before committing capital.
For prospective buyers, the office-only permission with attached conditions may narrow the pool of interested parties, potentially extending the marketing period and affecting achievable sale prices. Developers with experience navigating Liverpool’s planning framework, or those able to demonstrate viable office-led schemes, may be best positioned to acquire the site. Alternatively, a future buyer could seek to vary the existing permission, though this would reintroduce the time and cost uncertainties cited by Best Care.
For the local community, the continued vacancy of the former fire station represents a lost opportunity for job creation and care service provision that the original proposal promised. If the property remains undeveloped for an extended period, there may be renewed pressure on Liverpool Council to facilitate a viable use, potentially through pre-application engagement support or targeted regeneration incentives. The outcome of the sale process will therefore be watched closely by residents, local businesses and care sector stakeholders as an indicator of how adaptable historic civic assets can be in meeting contemporary economic and social needs.
