Lifeline for Seven Sisters

HOUSING bosses in Rochdale now want to save the town's landmark 'Seven Sisters' towers from the bulldozers.

- STEPHEN TOPPING

Plans to knock down four of the College Bank towers were first floated by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) in 2017.

Many residents have since left their homes on the estate, with the threat of demolition hanging over the towers. But in the fallout from the death of Awaab Ishak, there has been change at the top of RBH. The social landlord's intentions have shifted.

RBH confirmed a review of the College Bank project earlier this year. Now, interim chief executive Yvonne Arrowsmith has admitted that saving the towers would mean 'not increasing the housing crisis' in Rochdale, signalling a new direction ahead of plans being confirmed in the coming months.

She told the M.E.N: "We have been trying to find a way of not demolishing the blocks. We've been working with the council, with the mayors, with the MPs and councillors to say it would be great if we could find a green solution - a sustainable solution for those towers going forward.