'I'll chain myself to my front door... I'm not going anywhere'

In more than three decades living in one of Rochdale's 'Seven Sisters', Sheila Bamford has seen many of her neighbours come and go.

Her flat - on the 17th floor of Town Mill Brow - towers over the nearby town centre and affords spectacular views of the surrounding hills. It has been Ms Bamford's pride and joy for more than 30 years.

In her younger years, she led the tenants and residents association on the estate - officially known as College Bank - and fought for the interests of her neighbours and friends. But for almost a decade, Ms Bamford has faced uncertainty and anxiety over the future of her home.

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The tower block she lives in was one of four of the Seven Sisters that were threatened with demolition in 2016. In the years that have passed, she says most of her neighbours have moved out.

Some left 'in panic' while other were offered cash to leave. Ms Bamford stayed put.

“I told them from day one I won't be bullied out of my home," she said. “I’m very happy and I feel safe here. What right have they to take my home away from me?"

Ms Bamford is one of several residents who have no intention of leaving the estate where they have built their lives. She hopes the Seven Sisters will be saved - an outcome that has now been thrown into doubt after efforts to secure their future fell apart.

After years of campaigning from residents and councillors, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) announced last year that it had entered an ‘exclusive agreement’ with Legal & General Affordable Homes (LGAH) to explore options of refurbishing the apartment blocks without the need to bring in the wrecking ball.

However, earlier this week, it was revealed that the partnership had come to an end. It means the future of the tower blocks is entirely in the hands of RBH - who confirmed it cannot rule out the demolition of the towers blocks, just as they initially proposed nearly a decade ago.

Should it eventually come down to that, Ms Bamford says she will refuse to move.

“I’m just ignoring it," she said. "Me and my daughters have said we will chain ourselves outside my front door.

"It’s the old people that are still in these flats that don’t want to move.

“I can’t do stairs and I need somewhere that’s near town so my son and daughter are near me when I need help. They have no bungalows around here."

Roy Kitcher and his partner Christina Hartley have lived in their eighth floor flat in Tentercroft for the last 13 years. The couple are part of the Save the Seven Sisters group, which has been campaigning to save the tower blocks.

Mr Kitcher, 63, described the buildings as "iconic" and said he was "gutted" when he heard that RBH had been unable to reach "a commercially viable agreement" to refurbish the blocks.

"People are despondent," he explained. "There was a lot of the hope in the air.

"It's unsettling. We just don't know where we stand."

Uncertainty has hung over the The College Bank estate for years now, leaving it a shadow of its former self. An exodus of neighbours has sucked the feeling of community from the once bustling area.

It's understood that about two thirds of the flats at Seven Sisters are currently empty while more than 10,000 sit on the waiting list for social housing across the borough.

While many tenants jumped at RBH's offers of compensation to find somewhere else to live, it was a "non-starter" for Mr Kitcher and Ms Hartley.

"We told them where to shove it," explained Mr Kitcher. "We will fight to the bitter end. We will stay put as long as we can."

Ms Hartley, 65, added: "We love it here, we just want some modernising. All we have had in 13 years is a radiator.

"There are about 500 empty flats here. It's a crying shame when you have all these people calling out for homes, sofa surfing, living in B&Bs and we all these flats that are just in need of an injection of money. I hope we can get another investor willing to take a chance on us."

Minutes from Rochdale town centre, the 'Seven Sisters' were a feat of engineering when completed in the 1960s. For more than half a century, they have dominated the town's skyline.

But as the years have passed, the tower blocks have become tired, outdated and in desperate need of repair. It was November 2016 when the Manchester Evening News first reported that the landmark tower blocks of the College Bank estate were facing an uncertain future.

Seven months later, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) unveiled plans to knock down four of the seven towers, to make way for up to 120 new homes. Mitchell Hey, Dunkirk Rise, Tentercroft and Town Mill Brow were the four 19-storey blocks that had been earmarked for demolition.

The uncertainty over the future of the Seven Sisters led to many tenants moving out, while those who stayed were left in a state of anxiety about what was to come.

In June 2023, it was announced that the tower blocks could be saved from the bulldozers. RBH had been working with Legal and General Affordable Homes (LGAH) and Lovell on a plan to renovate all seven blocks and bring them back into full use, with an efficient heating system and new outdoor space.

The projected cost of regenerating College Bank is not currently known but RBH has previously stated that it would be around £107m. It had seemed as though the future of the tower blocks would be secured - until earlier this week.

Ms Hartley says the uncertainty has taken its toll on her and other tenants, who feel as though they were "given false hope".

"It's been an absolute nightmare," she said. "I'm 66 this year. How much longer do I have to put up with this - not knowing whether my home is safe? Are they going to move me?

"It takes its toll on your health. You think is it worth it anymore? Sometimes it feels like they just want you to give up.

"It's not about the money. It's about where we live, the community, the people we know. Everyone is entitled to somewhere safe and comfortable to live."

Richard Grayson, 38, lives in Dunkirk Rise with his wife and their four-year-old daughter. He was willing to move out but said he never received a financial offer.

“One of my friends was given £7,000," he said. "I was hoping to get it because I wanted to move. I’d like to live somewhere where it’s energy efficient and warm."

While he hoped the tower blocks would be saved, he acknowledged they required a "massive refurbishment".

“The windows are horrendous," he said. "In winter time, it’s condensation central and you can hear the traffic and the wind. The seals are not fit for purpose.

“They never used to be this bad but they’ve deteriorated over time. It’s like they don’t care about the state of them.

"I’ll stay if they are able to do the refurbishments. If the option is to demolish them, I’m happy to move as long as it’s an adequate place to move to. I just hate the not knowing, that’s what’s frustrating."

Mark Slater is another of those who has been fighting to save the Seven Sisters. He moved into his flat in Mardyke when he was at a low ebb back in 2015 and credits the estate with helping him 'turn his life around'.

"We feel like we've been given false hope and it's been snatched away," he said of the latest development. "To get to this stage is absolutely devastating," he said.

"This can't fail. The money has got to be found.

"We have got 450 homes that are empty and it's just unacceptable. Something has to be done and it has to be done quickly.

"Demolition is not an option. We need to get the decision makers that look for the funding and keep the project alive."

With a housing emergency being declared by town hall bosses last year, RBH is now wanting to push forward with the process to try and fill the largely unoccupied homes on College Bank. In the meantime, residents who have remained on the estate have been stuck in limbo for 16 months in homes the housing provider itself does not deem fit for 21st century standards.

RBH has said it is now pressing on with structural surveys, demand analysis, ground investigations and financial modelling that will inform the next steps of the process. At the same time, improvements will take place to the blocks and their outside space.

What Rochdale Boroughwide Housing say

Amanda Newton, RBH Chief Executive, said: "We are absolutely committed to ensuring all the 28,000 people who live in our homes have safe, warm and affordable places to live, now and for the future. This means it’s critical we make sound financial decisions and spend every penny of our customers’ rent money wisely, with their best interests at heart.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach a commercially viable agreement that both RBH and LGAH were comfortable with from a risk perspective. This means that the exclusivity agreement has now come to an end, and RBH will be looking to explore options independently.

“We know this will be disappointing for our customers living in College Bank, but the work completed in the past months has taken us forward and will not be lost. Considering options independently will take a number of months, and whilst we know this brings further uncertainty, we will continue to engage with residents throughout.”

"We will keep talking to our customers all the way, as these works progress, so they can help us create quality and affordable homes that are fit for families now and for generations to come.”

All people living in College Bank have been invited to attend in-person drop-in sessions on Monday (October 28) and on Tuesday, November 5, where they can find out more information.