'I may never be allowed home after burst pipe'

A man who had to move out of his social housing accommodation after a water pipe burst said he now feared never being allowed to return to his flat.

Malcolm Atkinson, 55, was among the tenants of seven flats in the College Bank tower blocks - known as the Seven Sisters - in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, who were ordered to evacuate on 6 March.

They have been rehoused in temporary accommodation while the social landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), said it was trying to find specialist contractors to fix the 60-year-old pipe.

RBH has adamantly denied Atkinson's suggestion that it was taking advantage of the current situation to speed up its plans to remove all of the towers' tenants.

Atkinson said: "In 2019, they issued us with an initial demolition notice and promised that any RBH tenant who needs to move home will be given at least one year's notice of this.

"Then, seven years later and just three weeks before the initial demolition notice was due to expire, they told us we had to move out immediately.

"Now, we're being told that we may never be able to move back into our homes, and that if we can, it won't be for at least 24 weeks."

RBH is currently in the process of moving all 229 households out of the flats due to a number of safety issues that had been flagged in a building survey.

The tower blocks, built in the 1960s, will have more problems as they continue to age, it said.

RBH regeneration and development director Hannah Fleming said: "Moving customers into emergency accommodation is a last resort and this decision was only made to protect their safety, health and wellbeing."

"We know how difficult this period of uncertainty is for our customers and we are committed to continuing our support for them."

RBH revealed plans to demolish the towers in 2017, sparking a local opposition campaign, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Demolition was then ruled out in 2023 before the social landlord later that year said it had put "all options back on the table".

RBH said no decision on the potential demolition of the tower blocks had been made, and that all options, including refurbishment, would require residents to move out.

Atkinson was also critical of the temporary accommodation he had been provided, saying he was moved around to different rooms and hotels three times before being placed in self-catered accommodation, which he needs for health reasons.

He said he had not been able to access his flat, making it difficult for him to secure his medication supplies, to pick up mail and to water his plants.

Atkinson is also concerned about where he will be staying long-term, since his current accommodation will be fully booked after 18 April.

RBH said it had gone "above and beyond" for the impacted residents, even providing accommodation for those who own their flats, despite having no legal obligation to do so.

Fleming added: "We know that living in a hotel for a prolonged period is not how anyone wants to live, and we are working with each customer to meet their needs as far as we can and find more appropriate accommodation."

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