RBH forges ahead with Lower Falinge demolitions

While the future of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s Seven Sisters tower blocks remains up in the air, the housing association is planning to knock down a different cluster of seven buildings to pave the way for the regeneration of the area.

Seven mid-rise blocks of maisonettes north of the Seven Sisters towers are to be bulldozed over the next year.

Six of the blocks – Ollerton, Newstead, Romsey, Quinton, Ullesthorpe, and Vaynor – are vacant and in need of knocking down to curb anti-social behaviour and to clear the site west of Lower Falinge for redevelopment.

The seventh, Zedburgh House, will be knocked down at a later date.

RBH has lodged plans for the work with Rochdale Council. Poole Dick and Freeley are advising RBH.

RBH also plans to demolish nearby empty commercial buildings, the former RSPCA buildings, and the former car wash on High Street, according to an update on its website.

Meanwhile, the future of the Seven Sisters blocks remains unclear.

RBH had previously announced its intention to demolish the towers but then entered talks with L&G Affordable Homes over a potential refurbishment project.

However, talks broke down after the parties failed to reach an agreement on how to progress a project that would cost more than £100m to carry out.

The blocks were built in the 1960s and contain 700 flats, most of which are empty.