Clearing Kirkholt flats to prepare for modern housing

Resident Philomena Renshaw sees the demolition underway, together with Ken Palmer (Palmer Demolition), Steve Hughes, Senior Surveyor, RBH and Linda Byrne from the Kirkholt HMR team.

Contractors have moved in to demolish three blocks of flats on Queens Drive in Kirkholt to create a site for new homes.

The Vision for Kirkholt project, which brings together the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, Rochdale Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, is funding the clearance of the site.

Kirkholt resident Margaret Whalley said: “I have been living in the neighbourhood since about 1952 before all of Kirkholt was even built. I have seen so many changes on the road alone over the years and I’m keen to see the improvements happen that are planned for the future."

Welcoming the demolition, Councillor Doreen Brophy-Lee, Rochdale Council’s Cabinet member for Housing, said: “This is an important milestone. We are getting ready to select our developer partner, and clearing sites to build new homes will put us in a strong position to make good progress.”

Palmer Demolition is carrying out the work. Temporary traffic restrictions and residents-only parking has been set up on Queens Drive to allow the demolition to go ahead safely.

The Vision for Kirkholt proposals involve replacing up to 600 existing homes with new, quality modern homes for sale and rent and introducing further new housing developments, which could mean building up to 1,400 new homes. New shopping and community facilities are planned, as well as new, safer green spaces and improvements to Balderstone Park.