Ringo Starr's birthplace may be demolished

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LIVERPOOL, England, April 20 (UPI) -- The house where Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was born in the English port of Liverpool moved a step closer to demolition Tuesday.

Starr, then Richard Starkey, spent the first few years of his life in the terrace house at 9 Madryn Street after his birth in 1940. The Liverpool Council approved demolition of several blocks of houses, the Liverpool Echo reported.

The area in the Toxteth neighborhood of Liverpool is known as Welsh Streets because the Victorian houses were originally inhabited mainly by workers who had come to the city from Wales.

Preservationists and supporters of the demolition came to the meeting and debated the issue, the Echo said. One group argued the houses should be renovated as an important part of Liverpool's history while the other said they are unsalvageable.

After his rise to fame, Ringo Starr cut most of his ties to Liverpool. In 2005, when planners proposed rebuilding his birthplace as part of a Museum of Liverpool Life, he argued the house was worthless, a Wikipedia post indicates.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles must approve the demolition, the BBC reported.