Deal to redevelop town's 'landmark' falls apart

A deal could not be reach to fund the redevelopment of Rochdale's Seven Sisters.

The future of a set of 1960s 'landmark' tower blocks has been thrown into doubt after efforts to secure their long-term use fell apart.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) had sought help from a developer to pay for its £107m plans to refurbish the College Bank high-rise apartments, known in the town as the Seven Sisters.

But the social housing landlord has been unable to reach a "commercially viable agreement" to help improve the blocks where 250 people live.

Amanda Newton, RBH chief executive said the lack of a deal was "disappointing" but "all options" for the future of the site would still be explored.

The landlord reconsidered initial plans to knock the blocks down in 2017

Roy Kitcher from the Save the Seven Sisters group said the tower blocks were a "landmark".

"As soon as you come off the motorway you can see them, and you know you're home," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

He admitted that their future was now uncertain.

Many of the apartments spread across the Seven Sisters remain unoccupied after a plan was announced to demolish four of the blocks in 2017, leading to an exodus of hundreds of tenants.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing later reconsidered the plan, and instead signed a deal with developer Legal & General Affordable Housing (LGAH) last year to find a viable way of refurbishing the apartments.

All 700 flats in the 1960s blocks were set to be redeveloped under the plans, but the pair's agreement has now come to an end without a solution emerging.

'Sound decisions'

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach a commercially viable agreement that both RBH and LGAH were comfortable with from a risk perspective," Ms Newton said.

It means the social housing provider is now independently looking at what to do with the tower blocks in a process expected to take months.

“We know this will be disappointing for our customers living in College Bank, but the work completed in the past months has taken us forward and will not be lost," Ms Newton said.

"It's critical we make sound financial decisions and spend every penny of our customers’ rent money wisely, with their best interests at heart."

The social provider is set continue working making structural surveys of the building, and has plans to make improvements to the blocks and outside areas.