Last tenant says estate demolition 'feels personal'

Andy Roche's estate block is set to be demolished

The last remaining resident of a social housing block has said he feels like his community is not being valued in regeneration plans for the estate.

Andy Roche has lived in his flat on the Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, for more than 25 years. Half of the estate's blocks have been demolished and replaced with new properties, with Mr Roche's building also earmarked for eventual demolition.

Mr Roche said he has refused to move out despite being offered multiple different housing options, saying his flat is good quality and has never had issues with damp or mould.

But the social landlord said the flats were "in a condition that would mean they cannot be occupied".

Rochdale Borough Housing (RBH) said the flats earmarked for demolition are "considered to be at the end of their life".

Mr Roche said he didn't feel like he had been listened to throughout the consultation process for the regeneration plans, which had reduced green space and had "roads everywhere" rather than being pedestrianised.

The maisonettes on the Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale are more than 50 years old

He said: "It feels personal almost, like they don't really value our community."

Hannah Fleming, director of regeneration and development at RBH, said she wanted residents to "share their key concerns with the architects".

She said: "We're committed to our long-running plans to create much needed high quality family homes and a brighter, greener Lower Falinge.

"We are pleased that the demolition of the nearby commercial sites is nearing completion.

"The flats earmarked for demolition are considered to be at the end of their life and are in a condition that would mean they cannot be occupied and would not be safe and warm homes.

"The only sustainable and affordable solution is to demolish them and build new homes that will meet the aspirations of the current and next generation of customers.

"We hope our application can be approved quickly so that we can move forward with our plans."

Mr Roche is among a group of residents who believe the existing flats could be retrofitted rather than demolished, and have presented a plan with the support of the Greater Manchester Tenants Union.

The community plan involves installing external wall insulation, new windows, heating and ventilation systems to bring the blocks up to modern standards.

Jane Taylor, who has has lived in the maisonettes on the Lower Falinge estate since 2009, said: "I feel strongly that the blocks could be retro-fitted, so a one bedroom could be made into a larger property and its such a shame for the estate."

However, Hussein Adan - who is among the residents who have moved into the estate's new homes - said they were significantly better than the old flats.

Hussein Adan lives in one of the new homes on the Lower Falinge estate

He said: "It's a big difference because the flats were quite old with a lot of leaks, so we used to suffer a lot and now there is no way to compare."

"The kitchen is quite big and we have a children's playground."