Last resident refuses to leave doomed Rochdale estate despite demolition plans

Andy Roche, a 51-year-old unemployed man, is the sole occupant of the seven apartment blocks that make up the Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The estate, built in the 1960s, has been earmarked for demolition as part of a regeneration project led by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). Roche has lived on the estate for 28 years and pays £95 per week for his flat. He shares the home with his partner, and both are autistic. Roche has refused to move, stating that the flat meets his and his partner's very specific needs, and that leaving would be 'almost a matter of life and death' due to the distress it would cause. The other six blocks—Ollerton, Newstead, Romsey, Quinton, Ullesthorpe, and Vaynor—are completely empty, with 126 homes across the seven blocks, leaving Roche's as the only occupied one. The demolition plans have been in progress for years, with RBH having already completed three phases of regeneration that delivered 100 new homes. However, the current phase has faced legal challenges: RBH sought prior approval for demolition, but residents took the decision to judicial review and won. RBH has not published a specific cost for this phase, but in January it secured £55 million in new bank funding to invest in existing homes and support regeneration projects across Rochdale. Roche expressed deep anxiety about the situation, saying that hearing the letterbox makes his heart sink because he fears receiving a court notice. He also worries about break-ins when he and his partner are out. A local resident, who was not named, criticized the situation, noting the housing crisis and questioning why the empty blocks cannot be used for housing instead of being demolished. RBH intends to submit an outline application for the plans to Rochdale Council. A spokesman for RBH acknowledged the difficult situation for the customers involved and stated that they have been and will continue to work with them and their representatives to support them in finding a new home that meets their needs. The spokesman also noted that the seven blocks have been empty for several years, have reached the end of their life, and can no longer provide the safe, warm homes that customers want and need for healthy lives.