A £90m regeneration project in Blackpool could see 400 homes demolished in one of England’s most deprived areas.
The properties are due to be demolished this summer and replaced with 230 new homes. The scheme was approved under Rishi Sunak’s government and is being funded by Homes England.
Blackpool Council stated that the £90m grant, awarded under the government’s levelling-up programme, aims to address poor housing conditions and long-standing deprivation.
Council documents show more than 800 people live in the affected area, including around 250 children. The homes are situated in the Rydal Avenue area of the seaside town.
Reverend Matthew Lockwood, who leads Beacon Church in the community, said residents were ‘angry and scared’ about the plans.
‘I think a much better idea would have been to use the money to actually improve the homes that are there, rather than undertake a mass demolition exercise,’ Lockwood explained. ‘Of course some of these homes are not in a good state and demolition would probably not be a bad thing. But many of them aren’t – they are solid, warm and well-made homes where some people have lived for decades.’
However, Blackpool Council have defended the plans, claiming regeneration is essential to address social and economic problems.
Lynn Williams, leader of the council, said: ‘I can’t comprehend how any community leader can say regenerating one of the most deprived areas of the country is a bad thing.
‘Everybody who lives in or visits Blackpool knows we need to invest and regenerate the area around Central Drive. Our residents and communities have been telling us that for decades.
‘A huge amount of our challenges in Blackpool revolve around poor quality housing and the effect that has on people’s health, employment and life outcomes. That’s made worse by absent or poor quality landlords who provide people in Blackpool with some terrible standards of living in the private rented sector.’
Concerns have also been raised about the impact on housing availability. Government figures show Blackpool has one of the lowest levels of social housing in England, with almost 12,000 households on the waiting list.
The debate comes after a court ruling in October that a compulsory purchase order issued by the council in a separate regeneration scheme contributed to the suicide of a 34-year-old man.
The family of Alister Taylor, a father of four children, said he was treated ‘like a number on a spreadsheet’ by the local authority before they seized his home to make way for an education campus.
Coroner Alan Wilson said the compulsory purchase played ‘more than a minimum role’ in his death and described the council’s approach as having a ‘lack of focus and thought but not ill feeling’.
Paul Kimberlin, 64, is among residents facing the loss of their homes under the current proposals. He told The Guardian: ‘I’m suffering from depression from losing my husband and anxiety and stress from what’s going on – the council are causing me so much heartache.
‘This is a perfectly warm property. There’s nothing wrong with it and there’s nowhere to move to – there’s a shortage of housing in the whole country so why are they knocking down 400 to build 230?’
He said he’s refused the council’s offer of the market value of his house – £96,000, plus £15,000 in compensation. He added: ‘That wouldn’t buy a hovel down South Shore. It wouldn’t buy a cardboard box and if it did it would be damp.
‘I’m not moving so they’re going to have to drag me out of here in handcuffs’.
Image: Mark mc neill/UnSplash
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