Latest Research Will Improve Rochdale Housing

New town houses on Rowrah Crescent, Langley

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Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal partnership has released the results of a study which will assist in developing their Pathfinder housing areas. Residents of these areas can look forward to new and improved housing, whilst developments will encourage people from outside the Pathfinder regions to move into these currently problematic areas.

The research also shows that without development, these areas will fall into further degeneration as people will choose to move out.

The survey focussed on the Housing Market Renewal areas in Langley, Middleton and East Central Rochdale and was undertaken by independent research company, Kwest.

The main findings emphasised the fact that unless a better mix of modern housing is built, the residents in these areas can, and will, leave for other areas or even leave the borough altogether.

Kwest carried out 2,100 thorough surveys in the homes of local residents, with 700 of those coming from people who live within the Pathfinder areas; creating a representative study of the people’s housing aspirations. The results give the HMR a clear sense of what type of housing people want and what they can afford, now and in the future.

At present more people are moving out of the problem areas than are moving into to them but the survey has indicated that that trend would reverse if higher quality housing was in place; showing that there is a market to aim at if these areas are improved.

The research showed that if town houses and apartments are built, more people would remain in the area as new homes would create a demand increase of 22%.

The HMR will set about developing 2,700 new homes in the next two years using the 67 ½ million pounds funding that has been granted over that period. The project extends beyond that, with a long term goal of building 12,000 homes and improving 4,000 within a 15 year period.

The survey has reinforced the need for investment in order to avoid poverty concentration and to achieve a more mixed community.

The aim of the Housing Market Renewal within East Central Rochdale and Langley is to create a community that people want to be a part of rather than one that they are forced into. This will be achieved by building high quality, affordable homes which are economically viable and safe for their inhabitants.

These plans have already been put into action in Rochdale, with developments taking place on Halifax Road and in Wardleworth.

Meanwhile plans to develop apartments on the banks of the River Roch in Central Rochdale seemed particularly innovative; affordable housing developments such as those found in the modern cities of Leeds and Manchester are not far from being created in Rochdale thanks to the work of the Pathfinder initiative.

The HMR is optimistic that this survey has put them on the right foot and that the findings will allow them to proceed in tackling Rochdale’s housing problem areas; increasing prosperity and improving quality of life for Rochdale residents. Alastair Graham, Director of the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, commenting on the findings was very optimistic about the future: “The research shows that the Pathfinder’s intervention in HMR areas will encourage more people who can afford to move out of the area to stay, creating a more economically balanced housing market.

"It shows that the new housing that is already being built in these communities will have an incredibly positive impact on the area as a whole and as well as retaining local residents it will attract new people.

"It is clear from the findings that a better mix of housing will help to create stronger, more sustainable communities.”