Lower Falinge

AFFORDABLE HOUSING?-what does that mean in a poor area The recent article in "The Guardian"(6/7/2018), was in some ways an improvement in the way Lower Falinge has been portrayed in the past. The interviews were respectful, and the people interviewed came across well as a result. So, pleasing from that perspective. What it failed to deal with, however, was the problems that regeneration will present- understandably so from the perspective of RBH. And the main aspect of that will be affordability. Now one of the most egregious elements of Lower Falinge media coverage in the past was the way it was labelled a so-called "benefits blackspot", due to the proportion of residents in receipt of benefits- a way for successive governments, Labour, Coalition,and Conservative,to cover for their brutal economic policies in the guise of "reforms". The figures were somewhat skewed by the presence of large homeless hostels in the ward, and since their demolition,...

RBH would claim that their demolition/regeneration plans for College Bank and Lower Falinge are brave and radical,somehow. If you look at it in more than a cursory way, though, they are planning to replace them with "affordable" housing, two/three bedroomed that will, over time, end up displacing people living in these communities because they will no longer be able to live there, because they  won't be able to afford to. Hardly radical,that. A more radical alternative would be to give tenants genuine control over the place where they live.What we have at present is a set of non-options, a limited and disingenuous consultation exercise, the whole process being tightly controlled by the board of RBH, in co-ordination with the virtually indivisible political/business Greater Manchester elite.The truth is that tenants are marginalised.We are told that the board is acting in our best interests, that they have expertise and contacts, that they are there because they "re...

The Future part 2.....maybe, So, a few weeks ago, RBH unveiled the first phase of the demolition and redevelopment of Lower Falinge. The deck access blocks are to be replaced by two bedroom houses. These homes are going to be 'rent to buy'. This means that homes are rented at an 'affordable' rent whilst a deposit is being saved, with the idea that this will eventually result in tenants becoming homeowners. The problem with this is that the providers offering mortgages for this new'product' are few and far between, and with significantly higher interest. So not for the present residents, then, and not that likely to be taken up by the Rochdale resident who is maybe in low paid or zero hours work. 'Affordable' rent in these circumstances would seem to be a better option, at least locally, as there is more or less parity locally between private and social rented properties. But there is likely to be more demand than supply for these properties, as the em...

So why am I writing about an old industrial site in Greater Manchester? Because it is a possible example of what could happen when the interests of property developers take precedence over the public health and safety concerns of the area's residents and people in Rochdale. Turner Brothers was the site of what was once the biggest producers of asbestos products in Europe. As is known now, the fibres produced by the industrial processes are carcinogenic, and the cause of respiratory diseases. It has been banned from use for many years now. Which makes it worrying that it has been a long term target for redevelopment. The land was purchased in April 2014 by Renshaw Properties, a company registered for tax purposes in the British Virgin Islands, clearly with an eye to future development. After some standard corporate faux consultation in the area, an environmental testing company called RSK was commissioned by them to carry out air and ground tests for contamination. There was then...

The future...  I have seen the future of housing, and I believe the market does not, and cannot, work in our interest. This is something that the recent history of regeneration in Greater Manchester should tell us. Housing as lucrative investment opportunity, yes, housing that meets actual needs... not so much. The present waiting list for social housing in Greater Manchester amounts to 80000 and counting. Homelessness is visibly, utterly shamefully, growing exponentially, compounded by the utterly dishonest labelling of vulnerable, damaged people as aggressive beggars. One of those bastards is responsible for regeneration in our borough - I know, couldn't make it up etc... Which brings me neatly to the regeneration proposals. The ones where we have plenty of input, but no control at all, with this faux mutual. The solution has to based, ultimately, in government investment in housing benefit, because the market is not going to provide us with a solution. As far as we're conc...

Things are changing. Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has decided on a dramatic plan to demolish half of the blocks. There are obviously mixed feelings about this development, but at the moment there are not many details of what will replace the homes being brought down. Here are a few links that may be useful during this uncertain period. Lower Falinge Community Activity Group , the local Tenants & Residents Association, has provided a Facebook Group for residents to discuss the plans. RBH has provided a Facebook page for news and discussion: A Stronger Future For College Bank and Lower Falinge . They also provide news and information on their own website about the regeneration on here and on College Bank: College Bank and Lower Falinge: Latest Updates . There is a Lower Falinge Facebook Page at facebook.com/lowerfalinge , feel free to drop by and contribute. We are also on Twitter as @lowerfalinge , please follow us there and say hello. 😀

The second Lower Falinge Christmas Cheer event will be on 14th December 2011 6.30pm in front of Newstead. There will be carol singing accompanied by the Salvation Army Band and Father Christmas, followed by a nativity play with coffee and mince pies at Hebron Church , Howard Street. For more details please contact Jackie Robinson on 07570 040 983 .