Kirkholt residents asked to have their say on ‘Ideas for Change’
22nd November 2006
An exciting long-term vision to transform the Kirkholt estate has been created following consultation with local people.
The ideas - 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.
Special information packs have been sent out to all Kirkholt residents showing the ideas put forward. A partnership made up of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Rochdale Council and the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, is now looking to find out the views of the wider community.
Councillor Darren Pedley said: “The vision is by no means set in stone. There will be lots more opportunities to get involved in the future before any decisions are made. We will be meeting people living in development areas face-to-face over the coming weeks and then in the New Year a series of workshops, exhibitions and meetings will take place.”
Delivering the ideas would 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- Building modern new shops with better parking and disabled access to replace the existing outdated shops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.
Councillor Dale Mulgrew said: “The estate was built in the late 1940s and was one of the most desirable places to live in Rochdale at this time. Fast forward to the present and there continues to be popular areas around Kirkholt. However, the community has said it would like to see action to tackle some of the areas that have now proven less desirable so that this trend can be reversed and all of the estate can take pride in its appearance.
“The Ideas for Change is all about responding to local residents with a long-term vision that 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.
“I urge everyone to get involved in the consultation, to visualise what can be achieved, and to believe that this is a major project which can deliver change and improvement for the entire community of Kirkholt.”
Additional information
- The Kirkholt estate was built in the late 1940 and early 1950s as a social rented estate. The majority of homes (75%) are owned by the Council and managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.
- Parts of the estate suffer from high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and some areas are among the1% most deprived in the UK.
- Research shows that without action many people, who can afford to, will over time choose to leave the estate in search of better housing elsewhere. There is real concern that this could create a downward spiral.
- The proposals have been based on the views given at consultation events, in questionnaires and at a series of work-shops at the start of the year.
- The Kirkholt Steering Group was set up in February and has met every month until August, when it started meeting twice a month. The Group is made up of 35 volunteers including residents, residents’ representatives, community groups, a local retail representative and officers.
- It is unlikely that there would be any major changes to the physical environment of Kirkholt within the next two years.
To read more about the Ideas for Change for Kirkholt, click here.
Image: The Strand, Kirkholt