Council gets tough on run-down buildings

RUN-DOWN = KNOCK-DOWN: The burnt out building at 26-28 Milnrow Road which is being demolished by the council.

Rochdale Borough Council has this week begun knocking down a dangerous and dilapidated building on Milnrow Road, Rochdale.

It follows the owner’s failure to repair or restore the building, which is close to the junction with Oldham Road. The council subsequently sought a court order for permission to demolish the building. Demolition of the former chip shop, damaged by a fire in 2005, is expected to take a couple of weeks.

The work is part of a wider project to identify and take action against empty and run-down buildings across the borough.

Councillor Wera Hobhouse, cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said “We have looked in detail at the complex issue of empty and dilapidated buildings in the borough and we are putting together a new strategy to address the issues.

“We want to get the message to building owners that we are committed to the regeneration of the borough and we won’t allow unsightly and dangerous buildings to blight the area.”

Councillor Hobhouse added: “In cases where the owners of buildings will not take responsibility, we can step in and then recover the cost from them through legal proceedings. Our staff are working hard to target these types of building and we will start to see the benefit as we conclude our work - either with or without owners’ co-operation.”

Councillor Ibrar Khan welcomed the action taken on Milnrow Road but urged the Council to show more consistency in their approach.

“Let’s not have one rule for Milnrow Road and another elsewhere,” he said. “Residents have been complaining to me about the derelict and empty snooker hall on Whitehall Street for a long time and the Council will not take any decisive action to deal with this problem. The fire service has already warned that lives could be lost because the building is in such a deteriorating state but still the Council won’t act. This building is becoming a magnet for flytippers and drug users, and is causing a lot of grief to residents. All that happens is the Council board it up and then vandals rip down the boardings again. This is a waste of money and resources - even the fire service say they are wasting time being constantly called out to deal with gangs of youths who set fire to the premises. I’ve been calling for this building to be knocked down for years and I hope Councillor Wera Hobhouse will now make this a priority and take the appropriate action that residents have been waiting for a long time to see.”