Best Care Liverpool Ltd, the company that bought Merseyside's oldest fire station with plans to convert it into housing and offices, has confirmed it is now looking to sell the building after what its director described as an "unnecessarily difficult and costly" planning process.
The former Aintree Fire Station on Longmoor Lane in Fazakerley was closed by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) in May 2024, as the service moved to a new £40m super station on Long Lane. The 100-year-old site was subsequently sold to Best Care Liverpool Ltd, which had sought to convert it into offices and housing.
Planning setbacks and revised proposals
In January 2025, proposals were unveiled for the future of the fire station. After a housing plan was refused, the scheme was resubmitted to focus solely on new offices, which was accepted by Liverpool Council in October last year. However, Nora Darwin, director of Best Care Liverpool Ltd, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the company is now looking to sell the building because "we now have a property that we cannot afford to develop."
Documents released by the MFRS authority policy and resources committee confirmed that 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.
Bidding process and company background
A total of 44 parties took part in the bidding process, 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.
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."
Impact on community and company
The director added how 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."
"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."
"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."
Council response and next steps
Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool Council cabinet member for growth and economy, said: "The council has worked with the owners of the former Aintree Fire Station site over a number of years to support proposals for its future use. In 2023, a pre-application enquiry for residential use of the building was submitted and planning officers provided advice on how the proposal could be developed."
"As part of this process, the council seeks to ensure new accommodation is accessible to all members of the community, including people with mobility difficulties. A formal application to change the use of the building to offices was subsequently submitted in 2024."
"That proposal was refused in June 2025, however an amended application was submitted in August 2025 and approved in October 2025. The council works constructively with applicants and their professional advisers to help bring forward proposals that meet local and national planning policy and guidance."
"It is not unusual for amendments to be requested or planning conditions to be applied as part of the planning process. While applicants may not always agree with the advice provided or decisions reached, planning officers have a responsibility to assess proposals consistently and in the wider public interest."
The company is now attempting to sell the property, with the outcome of any sale yet to be announced.
