The estate with hundreds of empty flats in a town where 10,000 are desperate for homes

They have stood proud since the 1960s, dominating the town's skyline against the dramatic hills which surround the town. But for almost eight years, uncertainty has hung over the Seven Sisters of Rochdale.

It was November 2016 when the Manchester Evening News first reported that the landmark tower blocks of the College Bank estate were facing an uncertain future. Seven months later, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) unveiled plans to knock down four of the seven towers, to make way for up to 120 new homes.

Campaigners and councillors spent years challenging the project - while thousands were spent by RBH paying people to leave . But in a new era for RBH, ushered in with the landlord facing mounting pressure following the death of Awaab Ishak, priorities for the College Bank estate switched.

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The M.E.N revealed last June that the tower blocks could be saved from the bulldozer, before RBH announced it was working with Legal and General on a plan to refurbish the buildings, and bring all 700 apartments into use. Yet 12 months on, the tenants who remain on College Bank are still stuck in limbo, surrounded by hundreds of empty homes.

It comes as the town hall declared a housing emergency last October. At the time, almost 10,000 households were on the waiting list for social housing across the Rochdale borough. It's understood around 400 flats at Seven Sisters are currently unoccupied.

Mark Slater moved into his flat at the Seven Sisters when he was at a low ebb back in 2015. "I had a camp bed and a garden chair from B&Q with a TV rested on it," he told the M.E.N.

"It gave me an opportunity to rebuild my life. Now I have a business and a decent life and it's because I had somewhere I could go to rebuild my life.

"My flat looks out and I can see the M62, I can see where I was born, where I went to school, where I got my first job. I can see my life in front of me and that's my journey."

In recent years, Mark has spent much of his energy fighting to save the estate which helped him 'turn his life around'. RBH's potential U-turn on demolition gave tenants hope last year.

But he says there remain 'mixed emotions' among the people who are living there - still without certainty over the future of their homes. "We don't know what is happening and until they say they've got the funding in place, there's still the possibility of the demolition of these buildings," said Mark.

"That's the worst case scenario and I don't think anybody wants to talk about that. We've had the sword of Damocles hanging over us since 2017 when they suggested this. Until there's a definitive decision, we are in the same place."

While the Seven Sisters are currently around two-thirds empty, it's understood around eight of the flats have been made available as temporary accommodation, with RBH supporting Rochdale Council's homelessness service. Mitchell Hey, Dunkirk Rise, Tentercroft and Town Mill Brow were the four 19-storey blocks that had been set for demolition.

The previous leadership team at RBH contested that repairing those blocks to the required state for 21st century living would be too expensive. Now, with a new team at the helm, the housing association insists it is 'committed' to saving College Bank and modernising it, creating a 'sustainable community where people want to live'.

It has been working with Legal and General Affordable Homes (LGAH) and Lovell on a plan to renovate all seven blocks and bring them back into full use, with an efficient heating system and new outdoor space. But there is a costly caveat.

RBH says it must meet a funding gap in order for the dream to become a reality, and it is in discussions with public sector partners on how that could be achieved. The M.E.N understands one of those partners is the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

RBH had an exclusivity agreement with LGAH in place from last September until the end of March, which was extended to the end of June 'to fully understand the complexity and the costs' - but no further announcement has yet been made on the position beyond this month. Were that deal to progress, it would see RBH would retain ownership of the blocks until refurbishment is complete, before ownership transfer to Legal & General Affordable Homes, making them the new landlord.

The M.E.N understands a further announcement could be made in the coming weeks, potentially on the other side of the July 4 general election.

A timetable published earlier this year suggested RBH would look to make a final decision on the project by the end of 2024. Residents at the first two blocks to be refurbished would then be relocated, before work begins in spring next year - subject to approval and funding being secured.

'A lot of people have been forced out'

RBH has previously stated the cost of the project would be around £107m. It has publicly recognised that there is a funding gap it will need to meet - but it is yet to say how big that financial hole is.

Should the plan succeed, RBH says it wants the future College Bank estate to be 'a national exemplar'. Opinions on the current state of the estate vary.

Ismael Jooma had lived in his flat in Tentercroft for seven years when the M.E.N spoke to residents on the estate earlier this year.

"It's a very nice place to live, everything's near," he said. "We have the shopping centre, the train and tram. I've lived in London all my life. I came here and it was a lot better. It's a very friendly area."

The estate has been home to Marjorie Watson for more than five decades. She moved into the flats with her husband when she was in her 20s.

"They were great," she said. "You had to live or work in Rochdale to get one. We had to pay a month's rent up front, it was about £5 per week."

Marjorie, who lost her husband two years ago, is a leaseholder at the Mitchell Hey block. She told the M.E.N she expected it to be the first to be refurbished.

The tower blocks are 'very quiet' now, Marjorie says, and she feels RBH has 'neglected' the buildings over recent years. Many residents previously took up the landlord's offers of compensation to find somewhere else to live.

"A lot of people have been forced out," Marjorie said. "They were offering £7,000 to move out. We were offered but didn't take them up. We said 'how would you feel if you were losing your home after 50 odd years?"

She added: "They think they can put you anywhere but a lot of the places they are building now, they are like dog kennels. There's no room at all. A lot of people have been forced out and they say they should never have moved."

The uncertainty of the last eight years has caused anxiety for tenants - and that situation is yet to ease. Beverley Clarke, who lives in Holland Rise, described the 'uncertainty' she has been facing with her home.

"I need a new carpet in my living room and bedroom," she said. "I could do it all up nice but then I've got to move out. I don't want to move out, I don't have the patience or the energy.

"They don't know what they're doing. One minute they were taking four down and we had to move out while they were doing them up. The others were supposed to be coming down but they are not."

One man, who asked not to be named, told the M.E.N he accepted £8,500 to move out of the Seven Sisters last year. "I got the compensation and a week later they turned round and said they're not moving anybody," he said.

Yet despite the unfortunate timing, he has no regrets, and he does not agree with others who have fought to save the site. "They're falling down," he said. "I used to get big chunks dropping off the roof of my balcony.

"They just don't care. They were still putting up the service charges and not providing any of the services. There used to be three concierges, now there's only one."

The man, who moved to Heywood and now 'doesn't miss' his old home, believes RBH should consider its original proposal. "They need to just knock the whole lot down," he added. "It was nice about 20 years ago but it's been a s******* for about ten years."

'We are working as quickly as we can'

Should the Seven Sisters be revived, RBH expects six of the blocks would remain as affordable housing, while one block would be designated for market rent. The landlord says the blocks would be fully refurbished and modernised, and that the new sustainable heating system would be cheaper to run than the existing one.

The housing association says it recognises the limbo that residents have faced in recent years and it wants to resolve that. Hannah Fleming, Head of Regeneration and Development at RBH, told the M.E.N: “We are sorry that College Bank residents have faced significant uncertainty over recent years.

"We are working as quickly as we can, with the aim of delivering a community that current and future residents can be proud to call home. Our aim is to bring all the homes at College Bank back into use, providing that we can bridge the current funding gap.

"These plans include external refurbishment, improved outside space, and internal works that would see the flats being updated to create safe, warm, and affordable homes. We have extended our exclusivity agreement with LGAH until the end of June 2024, which will enable us to continue discussions, including with potential funding providers.

"We will keep our customers updated on the plans as they progress and, in the meantime, our teams remain on site every day to provide support and assistance for our residents. If customers have any concerns, please speak to us straight away so that we can put things right.”