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LOCAL FEATURE
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Residents not as happy as
they’re told they are
Val Broadbent says her community has become more isolated since it was rehoused. Photo: Ryan Gallagher
Disgruntled residents living in a
regeneration zone feel “lonely
and isolated” three years after
being rehoused as part of a
Housing Market Renewal
scheme.
The homes in New
Broughton, Salford were part of
a government HMR – also
known as Pathfinder – initiative
designed to “rebuild
communities” and address
underlying social and economic
problems.
Worse off
But several of those living in the
first phase of the New
Broughton properties, built in
2007, have had ongoing troubles
since they moved in, reported
by The Big Issue in the North,
and continue to be aggrieved.
One recent survey, conducted
by New Broughton Residents
Association (NBRA), found that
62 per cent of those living in the
first phase homes now think
4 THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH · 17-23 JANUARY 2011
13/1/11 17:46
they are worse off than before
they were rehoused.
“We keep reading how happy
we all are, and how much it’s
improved our lives,” said Val
Broadbent, phase one resident
and NBRA secretary. “But it’s
not improved my life. It’s made
it worse; it’s lonely and isolated
here.”
Petitions and protests
Like other phase one residents,
Broadbent’s previous home had
its own driveway. She was
persuaded to move, she says,
only after being assured secure
parking facilities by developers.
“My old house had a secure
driveway with lockable gates,”
she said. “Here I have a parking
space in a communal car park
that was sold to us as secure
parking with electronic gate
entry and monitored by CCTV.
The gates never work and are
wide open 24/7 and the CCTV
never happened.”
Page 4
Several cars have been broken
into in the car park behind
Broadbent’s home on Duke
Street. The security gate lies
wide open and has been out of
order for over three months.
Residents have been informed
that CCTV will only be fitted in
the car park if they pay for its
installation and maintenance, at
a cost per household of around
£16 a month.
“We’re going to have to pay
for it, which is not right,” said
another phase one resident, Pat
Burke, 71. “The CCTV should
have been in when we moved
here. It just goes on and on and
it doesn’t seem to end. We’re
three years down the line now.”
Burke believes that because of
the petitions and protests of
phase one residents, homes
built in later phases of the
development benefited – some
coming with driveways and
CCTV, as well as solar panels
and patio doors.
“We were the guinea pigs,”
she said. “So why can’t they
rectify the mistakes and just
give us what we want?”
Figures produced by Salford
City Council show a total of
2,229 dwellings have so far been
demolished as part of Salford’s
regeneration programme. In
Central Salford throughout the
same period, a total of 3,927
new homes were built.
Fit for purpose
Councillor Peter Connor, Salford
City Council’s lead member for
housing, said: “We’ve had some
positive feedback from residents
who are happy with their new
homes and where there’s been
teething problems we’ve worked
with our partners who manage
the development to resolve
these.
“New Broughton provides
quality affordable homes to
local people and before it was
built many residents were living
in very old properties.
“They told us that they were
also unhappy with their
neighbourhood so, through New
Broughton, we’ve worked with
them to create a new
community with modern and
fit-for-purpose homes.”
Not satisfied
A spokesperson for the New
Broughton Partnership,
comprising Contour Homes,
Countryside Properties, Great
Places Housing Group, Salford
City Council and Salix Homes,
said: “Transformational change
of this scale takes time and
whilst we do recognise that not
all residents have been
completely satisfied with the
changes, there are many others
whose lives and circumstances
have dramatically improved.
“All partners have an open
and continuing dialogue with
residents at New Broughton,
including the residents
association. We will continue to
work closely with residents to
resolve any outstanding repairs
and maintenance issues as and
when these arise and are
reported to the relevant
organisations within the
partnership.”
RYAN GALLAGHER