THE BIRTHPLACE OF former Beatle Ringo Starr has been saved from demolition after a government minister stepped in with a legal block.

The nation’s Housing Minister Grant Shapps imposed a special restriction on the demolition of 9 Madryn Street – and 200 other terraced homes marked for demolition – after councillors in Liverpool’s planning committee announced plans to flatten them.

Shapps said that there must be an evaluation about whether an Environmental Impact Assessment is required before such a demolition could take place – a move that could mean a delay of 12 months or more, Sky News reports.

Starr (real name Richard Starkey) was born in the property and lived there for the first three months of  his life. He lived in nearby 10 Admiral Grove for the next 20 years – that house is not marked for destruction.

The Press Association reports that English Heritage has twice refused to list the house on Madryn Street, saying that it is not historically or architecturally significant enough to save. Liverpool City Council says that it would impractical to leave number 9 and demolish the other houses as it is part of a terrace.