Residents left to languish in “disgusting” houses as government axes social housing development in Collyhurst
Article published: Thursday, November 25th 2010
Residents of Collyhurst have reacted with anger at the Department for Communities and Local Government’s announcement of the cancellation of a long-awaited social housing development in North Manchester. Thousands could now be left in properties which do not meet minimum official standards for dwellings, labelled as “disgusting” by a local tenants’ association.
A parade of shops in Miles Platting. Photo by Gene Hunt on flickr
The Collyhurst scheme, which would have seen around £252m invested in building new homes and refurbishing existing ones, had been in the pipeline since 2006 when the Council approved plans to be submitted to the government in order to obtain funding. The plans included provisions for the delivery of 1,300 homes, consisting of new-builds and refurbished properties, in an area that has seen scant investment in housing for over 30 years.
However, despite an ‘indicative commitment’ of the previous government in 2007 to the tune of £160m – making the project the largest of its type in the country – the process stalled for more than three years as the government delayed on a decision and the council attempted to secure a larger amount of capital. Consequently the decision was postponed until after the General Election, and yesterday the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) announced it would save £1.9bn by pulling the plug on 13 PFI housing schemes across the country.
Now thousands of residents are faced with the prospect of remaining stuck in houses which are unfit for habitation. According to Local Partnerships, a body owned by the Treasury which provides the public sector with advice on complex projects, all 1,400 of the units in the area are considered ‘non-decent’ or ‘potentially non-decent’ – signifying that they do not meet the statutory minimum standards required for rented residential properties.
Ray Fisher, Chairman of the South Collyhurst Residents and Tenants Association spoke of residents’ reaction to the news and described the appalling conditions of the houses in the area.
“We are very disappointed. It feels all upside-down, as we had been waiting for 10 years for the project to be finalised. Now it looks as though it is all a big flop.
“The houses in the area are absolutely disgusting. You can put your fingers through window frames and see holes at the bottom of doors. There is no double glazing and many houses do not have central heating. This place has been abandoned. It is the only part of Manchester which has not been refurbished for over 30 years.”
This sentiment of betrayal has been echoed by other residents who feel the council is partially responsible for the failure of the bid, having given residents the impression that the funding was already ‘in the pipeline’. One resident told MULE: “We want to know why they didn’t go ahead in the first place when the last government agreed to give £160m.”
Hamerton Road in Collyhurst. Photo by Gene Hunt on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/raver_mikey/
Yet voices inside the council inform MULE that the council itself was also led to believe by the previous government that securing the capital was at an advanced stage and questions are now being asked why a U-turn has been made.
Executive Member for Housing on Manchester City Council Councillor Paul Andrews responded to the news by saying: “We are extremely disappointed by this announcement. This would have been the largest regeneration scheme of its type in the country. It would have transformed Collyhurst and made a huge difference to the people who live there. However, we are looking for alternative sources of funding and will do all in our power to ensure the people of Collyhurst have the homes they deserve.”
Other sources now indicate the council may look to its reserve funds to partly finance the project in conjunction with one of the larger Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) who are responsible for the maintenance and management of large parts of the its housing stock.
Under the Collyhurst scheme some 700 homes would have been demolished, including 189 maisonettes – around 30 of which are now empty and many more which will be soon be vacated. Although they are due for demolition, the possibility of them lying vacant while the council develops an alternative plan has raised fears of security among residents.
“This is a worry in terms of crime as there could be people breaking in to the maisonettes to strip the boilers,” said Ray Fisher.
Cllr Damien O’Connor, whose constituents in Miles Platting will be affected, told MULE:
“This scheme should have gone ahead as we had been waiting for it for much longer than most of the others [which have been given approval]. There are developments in other parts of North Manchester already going ahead but unfortunately Collyhurst was the last piece of the redevelopment puzzle. People are rightly bitter about it; when I was out canvassing people said to me ‘they will never give the money for here’.
“I want Eric Pickles [Minister for Communities and Local Government] to come to Collyhurst to explain to people why it’s not going ahead.”
Officials from the Housing Executive are due to meet with representatives from tenants associations in Collyhurst on December 2 to discuss a ‘Plan B’.
Michael Pooler
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