Campaigners react to demolition legal challenge success

In the shadow of Rochdale’s most iconic tower blocks sits a housing estate facing an almost identical fight for survival.

The tower blocks known as the Seven Sisters dominate the town’s skyline and have been dodging the bulldozer for over eight years.

Now, their neighbour across Spotland Road, Lower Falinge, has just delayed the wrecking ball from swooping in on them.

The Lower Falinge housing estate – which has been undergoing redevelopment for years – was named the most deprived area in England for the fifth successive year back in 2013.

Social housing giant, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), is the landowner at both sites and has a masterplan to redevelop the area with hundreds of new homes.

The latest stage of its overhaul was supposed to see the demolition of six maisonette blocks on the estate – but that has just been put on hold by a legal challenge.

The judicial review being conceded by Rochdale council means Ollerton, Newstead, Romsey, Quinton, Ullesthorpe, and Vaynor blocks – containing 126 homes – are safe from demolition for the moment.

Campaigners, who launched the legal challenge, explained how the demolition next to their homes would be a huge disruption to their lives, impact on their human rights and how it failed to properly consider environmental impact assessments.

The lawyers representing the campaigners, Cornerstone Barristers, described RBH’s actions as ‘salami slicing’ – where developers split up a project amongst separate planning applications which, on their own, do not constitute a major development.

It is expected that the proposed demolition will go back through the council’s planning process in the coming weeks. Campaigners are hoping they will get more of a say this time around.

A spokesperson for Rochdale council said: “Following our approval of an application to demolish six blocks at Lower Falinge, solicitors acting on behalf of residents challenged this decision on a number of grounds.

“The council has conceded on one of these grounds; that we stated that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was required but did not record the reasons for this assertion.

“The applicant does not have to resubmit the application; the process of determining the application will now take place again. We have 28 days to issue this decision and the decision will be published on the council’s website.”

Andy Roche, who lives in the Zedburgh block next to the proposed demolition site, said: “This gives us more time but not much. We are pleased we were correct in our objections about them not going through the proper process.

“This is a small win but the battle goes on. The next steps are to make sure this goes to the planning committee and gets proper scrutiny this time.

“We didn’t think this would stop it completely but the main hope was to get this to the planning committee.”

Out of the 24 flats in the Zedburgh block, Andy’s is the only one left occupied. He has lived on the estate since 1988 and has no intention of going anywhere.

Seven sisters tower blocks across the road

His presence there is the only reason Zedburgh isn’t among the six blocks set to be knocked down.

Speaking previously about life on the estate, Andy said: “Now there are 126 empty homes. Our block is next for demolition, and the only reason Zedburgh isn’t going this time is because we’re still there – we’re the last holdouts.

“I feel a constant pressure to move out, it’s taking a toll on our mental health. One of the main reasons we like it here specifically is because of the grassy areas and it’s away from the road noise. If there is some mythical place that is better we would’ve found it by now. Everything I want and need is here.”

RBH say the 1970’s buildings are no longer fit for purpose and have lived way beyond their life span.

Andy has previously taken the Local Democracy Reporting Service on a tour of the deserted section of the estate. Walking along the path where the Newstead block overlooks the communal grassland, every window is boarded up with plywood. Andy points out how families can watch their children play on the grass outside from through their living room windows.

But there are no children here anymore, and no families. Andy is one of the last remaining campaigners fighting to save these blocks.

However, the few that remain are resolute in their fight against this demolition. They have even joined forces with the Save the Seven Sisters group.

One of their lead campaigners, Mark Slater, believes all these empty homes are just a waste when you consider the housing waiting list in Rochdale now sits at just over 22,000.

Much like at College Bank, the vacant Lower Falinge blocks have slowly been emptied since 2017. There is also the question of what comes next.

RBH have made no plans for the next stage of redevelopment publicly, with the land set to be grassed over once demolition is complete.

Mark Slater, chair of the Rochdale branch of Greater Manchester Tenants Union, said: “With around 22,000 people on the housing waiting list in Rochdale, they want to demolish social housing. In our opinion there is no justifiable reason to be knocking these homes down.

“They are exactly the same standard as the flats that are being maintained. Not having any tangible plan in place (for after the demolition) seems to me to be ridiculous.

“What we are trying to do is work with the taskforce looking into the redevelopment to look at refurbishment of the blocks. This is a delay where we can hopefully show to RBH and the wider community that we have a viable opportunity to do this.

“What we want for Lower Falinge is a more democratic process.”

Mark Slater, who also heads up that campaign fighting to stop potential demolition at the Seven Sisters, has worked with London-based architects Unit 38 to draw up a refurbishment plan.

This masterplan would see the Seven Sisters tower blocks refurbished and brought up to modern living standards. The designs also include the regeneration of the Lower Falinge estate – which Andy Roche points out is much cheaper to do than College Bank.

With hundreds of empty homes in both Lower Falinge and College bank estates, Mark has reiterated time and time again that it’s just ‘not common sense’ to have all these units going unused when thousands are waiting for a place to live.

What RBH says

Hannah Fleming, RBH director of regeneration and development, 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’re confident that our current application complies with all the relevant planning guidance, including the Lower Falinge supplementary planning document. We hope our application can be approved quickly so that we can move forward with our plans.”