There’s no place like Holmes Street

Danuta Mut in the kitchen of her new home

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Empty homes, which were blighting a Rochdale neighbourhood, have been brought back to life.

The two terraced houses, in Holmes Street, had suffered years of neglect and had been unoccupied for several years and neighbours were becoming concerned about their neighbourhood.

The houses were compulsory purchased by Rochdale Council and transformed by Regenda.

The properties have undergone a full renovation – both inside and out – and now provide modern family homes available for affordable rent.

Three months after work started on site the homes have been completed and two families are ready to move into them.

Danuta Mut, 26, and her six-year-old son are moving into one of the Holmes Street houses.

They currently live with her parents nearby and Miss Mut shares a room with her sister.
She has been looking for a property and been on waiting lists for five years – waiting for a decent property in the right location.

She said: “I am so happy. This is fantastic for me and my son to be able to move into a new home only 10 minutes away from my parents and sister who will still be able to help me out.

“I have been waiting a long time to move to a place of my own and I cannot wait to get settled in as it means my son will have his own room and be able to play in the back garden.

“My new home is ideal as its close by to both my son’s school and it means I can stay in touch with my local community, as I am not moving far away. I have watched the houses transform from derelict homes to what looks like brand new properties – it is amazing. I am just so happy.” 

Andy Zuntz, Interim Chief Executive at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Turning empty properties back into homes is a priority for the council because the benefits it offers our communities are huge – not only for the people that live in the homes but for the local neighbourhood as well.

“It’s great to see families now moving into these two houses and I look forward to more projects like this across the borough.”

The project, which cost £126,000, received a £50,000 grant from the Homes and Communities Agency’s Empty Homes Fund, which is specifically targeted at bringing empty and neglected homes back into use. Regenda is one of only two housing providers to successfully bid for this funding and it was the largest grant made by the fund in the North West in 2011/12 per property.

Tracy Heyes, Executive Director of Operations at Regenda, said: “We are committed to bringing empty homes back into use. These two derelict buildings, which were an eyesore for the local community, have been restored to provide good quality accommodation for two local families. We have also had some really positive feedback from other residents in the area about the impact this has made.

“These are much needed local homes in an area of high demand and the project is also a great example of partnership working with Rochdale Council.”