Since the 1960s they have stood proudly, dominating the city skyline against the dramatic hills that surround the town. But for almost eight years, uncertainty has surrounded the Seven Sisters of Rochdale.
It was November 2016 when the Manchester Evening News first reported that the landmark tower blocks of the College Bank complex faced an uncertain future. Seven months later, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) unveiled plans to demolish four of the seven towers to make way for up to 120 new homes.
Campaigners and councillors have fought the project for years – while RBH spent thousands trying to get people to move out. But in a new era for RBH, ushered in by growing pressure on the landlord following the death of Awaab Ishak, priorities for the College Bank estate have changed.
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The MEN announced last June that the tower blocks could be saved from the bulldozer, before RBH announced it was working with Legal and General on a plan to refurbish the buildings and bring all 700 apartments into use. Yet 12 months later, tenants still living in College Bank are still in limbo, surrounded by hundreds of empty homes.
This comes after the town hall declared a housing emergency last October. At the time, there were almost 10,000 households on the waiting list for social housing across the Rochdale borough. It is believed that around 400 homes in Seven Sisters are currently unoccupied.
Mark Slater moved into his Seven Sisters flat in 2015 when he was feeling unwell. “I had a camp bed and a garden chair from B&Q with a TV on it,” he told the MEN
“It gave me the opportunity to rebuild my life. Now I have a business and a decent life, and that’s because I had a place to go to rebuild my life.
“My flat looks out onto the M62, I can see where I was born, where I went to school, where I got my first job. I can see my life in front of me and that is my journey.”
Over the past few years, Mark has devoted much of his energy to fighting to save the property, which has helped him “turn his life around.” RBH’s potential reversal on demolition gave tenants hope last year.
However, he says people living there continue to have “mixed feelings” – still with no certainty about the future of their homes. “We don’t know what’s happening and until they say the funding is secured, there’s still a chance these buildings will be demolished,” Mark said.
“This is the worst case scenario and I don’t think anyone wants to talk about it. The sword of Damocles has been hanging over us since 2017 when they proposed this. Until there is a final decision, we are in the same place.”
While the Seven Sisters is currently around two-thirds empty, around eight of the flats are believed to have been made available as temporary accommodation, with RBH supporting Rochdale Council’s homelessness service. Mitchell Hey, Dunkirk Rise, Tentercroft and Town Mill Brow were the four 19-storey blocks to be demolished.
RBH’s previous management team felt that repairing these blocks to bring them up to the standard required for 21st century living would be too expensive. Now, with a new team at the helm, the housing association insists it is “committed” to saving and modernising College Bank and wants to create a “sustainable community where people love to live”.
A plan is being worked on with Legal and General Affordable Homes (LGAH) and Lovell to renovate all seven blocks and make them fully usable again, with an efficient heating system and new outdoor facilities. But there is a costly caveat.
RBH says it needs to close a funding gap to make the dream a reality and is in discussions with public sector partners about how to achieve this. One of those partners is the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the MEN said.
RBH had an exclusivity agreement with LGAH from last September until the end of March, which was extended until the end of June “to fully understand the complexities and costs” – but no further announcement has been made on the position beyond this month. Should that deal go ahead, RBH would retain ownership of the blocks until the refurbishment is complete, before ownership passes to Legal & General Affordable Homes, who will then become the new landlord.
The MEN understands that a further announcement could be made in the coming weeks, possibly shortly after the July 4 general election.
A timetable released earlier this year suggested RBH would like to make a final decision on the project by the end of 2024. Residents of the first two blocks to be redeveloped would then be relocated before work begins in spring next year – subject to approval and securing funding.
“Many people were displaced”
RBH has previously stated that the cost of the project would be around £107 million. The company has publicly acknowledged that there is a funding gap it needs to fill – but it is not yet known how big that financial hole is.
If the plan is successful, RBH wants the future College Bank property to be “a national model.” There are mixed opinions about the current condition of the property.
Ismael Jooma had already been living in his apartment in Tentercroft for seven years when the MEN spoke to residents of the settlement earlier this year.
“It’s a very nice place to live, everything is close,” he said. “We have the shopping centre, the train and the tram. I’ve lived in London all my life. When I came here, it was much better. It’s a very friendly area.”
The property has been home to Marjorie Watson for more than five decades. She moved into the apartments with her husband when she was in her twenties.
“They were great,” she said. “You had to live or work in Rochdale to get one. We had to pay a month’s rent up front, which was about £5 a week.”
Marjorie, who lost her husband two years ago, is the tenant of the Mitchell Hey block and told MEN she expects the block to be renovated first.
The high-rises are now “very quiet,” says Marjorie, and she feels that RBH has “neglected” the buildings in recent years. Many residents previously accepted the landlord’s offers of compensation in order to find alternative accommodation.
“A lot of people were forced to move out,” said Marjorie. “They offered us £7,000 if we moved out. We were offered the offer but we didn’t take it. We said, ‘How would you feel if you lost your home after 50 years?'”
She added: “They think they can put you anywhere, but many of the places they are building now are like dog kennels. There is no space at all. Many people have been displaced and say they should never have been allowed to move.”
The uncertainty of the last eight years has left tenants feeling uneasy – and the situation is not going away. Beverley Clarke, who lives in Holland Rise, described the “uncertainty” she is experiencing with her home.
“I need a new carpet in my living room and bedroom,” she said. “I could make everything nice, but then I’d have to move out. I don’t want to move out, I don’t have the patience or the energy.”
“They don’t know what they’re doing. They just took down four and we had to go out while they rebuilt them. The others were supposed to be taken down, but they’re not doing that.”
One man, who wished to remain anonymous, told MEN he accepted £8,500 to move out of the Seven Sisters last year. “I got the compensation and a week later they turned around and said they wouldn’t move anyone,” he said.
Despite the unfortunate timing, he has no regrets and disagrees with others who fought to save the site. “They’re collapsing,” he said. “Large chunks used to fall from the roof of my balcony.”
“They just don’t care. They still charged the service fee and didn’t provide any service. There used to be three concierges, now there’s only one.”
The man, who moved to Heywood and now “doesn’t miss” his old home, believes RBH should rethink its original proposal. “They just have to tear it all down,” he added. “It was lovely about 20 years ago, but for about ten years it’s been an asshole.”
“We are working as quickly as possible”
If the Seven Sisters are revitalised, RBH expects six of the blocks to be retained as affordable housing, while one block would be set aside for market rent. The landlord says the blocks would be fully refurbished and modernised and that the new sustainable heating system would be cheaper to run than the existing one.
The housing association says it is aware of the uncertainty residents have faced in recent years and wants to resolve it. Hannah Fleming, head of regeneration and development at RBH, told MEN: “We regret that residents of College Bank have faced a great deal of uncertainty in recent years.”
“We are working as quickly as possible with the goal of creating a community that current and future residents can be proud to call home. Our goal is to return all of the homes at College Bank to use, assuming we can bridge the current funding gap.
“These plans include an external refurbishment, improved external spaces and internal works which will include upgrading the apartments to create safe, warm and affordable homes. We have extended our exclusivity agreement with LGAH until the end of June 2024, which will enable us to continue discussions, including with potential finance providers.
“We will keep our customers updated as plans progress. In the meantime, our teams remain on site daily to provide support and assistance to our residents. If customers have any concerns, please speak to us immediately so we can put things right.”