Subsequent revised demolition and renewal proposals by the council and housing group Plus Dane were rejected by the government due to concerns about the negative impact they would have on the city's cultural heritage.

[6] Situated right next to the streets is Princes Park, designed and laid out by Joseph Paxton in 1840, an architect and later Member of Parliament for Coventry.

[11] A map from 1847, prior to the housing estate construction, shows an area clear of any significant dwellings, with a tanyard located in what would become Wynnstay Street.

Land in Toxteth was leased for housing development,[14] with the streets designed by Richard Owens[15] and built by David Roberts, Son and Co.[10] Owens, while working on the design of Mynydd Seion chapel in Abergele in 1867, forged a professional relationship with Roberts' company, who were land surveyors and eventually became dominant in Liverpool's housebuilding industry.

[16] This collaboration resulted in the design of over 10,000 terraced houses in Liverpool, particularly those in the surrounding Toxteth area where the Welsh Streets are located.

[17] The Welsh Streets estate was to be their third construction project, planned to comprise 1,776 houses in a hierarchical design, with the most desirable three-storey properties in Kelvin Grove being located closer to Princes Road to the north.

[10] In the latter part of the 19th century, just under a third of the city's population of 450,000 were Irish-born men, slightly outnumbering the 80,000 Welsh migrants drawn by promises of employment.

[22] During the early 1970s, the Welsh Streets Residents' Association formed as part of a campaign seeking an "improvement area" designation to prevent potential dereliction due to blight and neglect.

[23] By November of the following year, over 50 residents marched with a petition signed by 200 people to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, opposing proposed demolitions.

[30] In 2006, the then Leader of the Opposition David Cameron visited the streets with Michael Heseltine and said he was baffled by the proposed clearance plans.

[34] The land was offered to private developer Gleeson Group plc and social landlord Plus Dane, with proposals published for lower density houses.

[18] The Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment in 2005 stated that the environment around the Welsh Streets was bleak and that effective redevelopment following a clearance would significantly contribute towards regenerating the area.

The sudden withdrawal of funding left many schemes half-finished and some neighbourhoods only partially demolished, although others such as the Welsh Streets were spared demolition.

Campaigning charities led by Merseyside Civic Society and Save Britain's Heritage asserted that renovation would be preferable and cheaper.

[39] In 2011, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles quashed planning permission for demolition and required an Environmental Impact Assessment.

[50] The following year in October 2019, the project was named as the top residential scheme at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Awards Grand Final.

[51] Tracey Hartley, chair of the judging panel, commented: "The Welsh Streets is a fine example of how to breathe new life into tired, rundown terraced housing.

Instead of bringing in the bulldozers, sacrificing the established street layout and embedded energy of the existing buildings, Placefirst has imaginatively refurbished the houses and surrounding areas to create desirable, modern homes in an attractive community setting.

"[52]Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP gave a speech in October 2019, committing to the redevelopment of Victorian-era properties over demolition, specifically referring to the Welsh Streets project as being part of "a new wave of regeneration and renewal".

[53] Ringo Starr, drummer for The Beatles, was born in 9 Madryn Street, where he lived until the age of 4 before moving to nearby 10 Admiral Grove.

Many suggested demolition of the area surrounding Starr's home was unsatisfactory, claiming "People liked the city's character, not packaged replicas".