Kirkholt
An exciting long-term vision to transform the Kirkholt estate is continuing to develop following consultation with local people.
The Ideas for Change - drawn up in partnership with a steering group made up of residents and community groups - include looking at providing hundreds of modern new homes, delivering safer, cleaner neighbourhoods and parks and developing better community facilities.
In November 2006, Kirkholt residents received special information packs showing the ideas put forward. A partnership made up of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Rochdale Council and the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, sought the views of the wider community.
A series of meetings for local residents took place at the end of January 2007, where residents were able to give their views and ask questions about proposals to revitalise the area.
In June 2007, the results of this consultation, outlining changes to the proposals that residents asked for, were sent to all homes in the area.
Delivering the ideas will depend on support from the community and securing a development partner and funding over the next few years.
So far the ideas put forward include:
- Replacing up to 600 homes over the next 15 years with new, quality modern homes for sale and rent and introducing further new housing developments
- Providing new community facilities, including new playing fields and a community centre
- Building modern new shops with better parking and disabled access to replace the existing outdated shops
- Creating new, safer green spaces and improving Balderstone Park with new recreational facilities
- Carrying out improvements to the local environment and making it easier for people to move through the estate on foot and by car, bus and bicycle
- Action to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.
The aim would be to build new homes for sale and rent before demolition takes place and open and empty spaces and soon-to-be vacated sites have been identified to allow this to happen.
The estate was built in the late 1940s and whilst there are some popular areas, local people have said that they would like to see action to tackle some of the less popular parts of Kirkholt. This long-term vision could really help the area to become a place where people are very proud to live, offering a mix of modern housing for sale and rent and much improved facilities.