In her 40 years on the Collyhurst Village estate, Flo Taylor has seen it all. The 72-year-old claims to be the first tenant here, having moved into her four-bedroom council house back in 1982.
The home in Anslow Close was one of those used to showcase the north Manchester estate after it was built as part of a slum clearance programme. "We were living in Miles Platting at the time," she explained. "They asked us to come and have a look at them.
"We liked them so we said we'd have one."
Flo quickly fell in love with her new home, so much so that she brought her five children up there and still lives in the house today. Four decades on, it faces being demolished as part of a huge £4bn regeneration scheme to transform north Manchester.
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The land Flo's house is built on is to become part of the three-acre New Collyhurst Village Park, while she will move to the new 'Collyhurst Village' development down the road.
Plans to build 244 new homes and the park were given the go-ahead last summer. The development is part of Victoria North, a joint venture between Manchester council and Far East Consortium (FEC), which will see up to 15,000 new homes built along north Manchester’s River Irk valley.
Collyhurst Village will provide a mixture of townhouses and apartments of which 24 will be houses and 76 will be apartments run by the council, with the remaining 144 sold privately. To make way for the new park, 29 residential properties - mostly council homes on Thornton Street North, Johnny King Close, Anslow Close and Churnet Street - and the Collyhurst Village Store must be demolished.
Yesterday (Wednesday, March 16), the town hall voted in favour of using Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers to force homeowners to sell up so their properties can be knocked down. Councillors said they only intended to use the measures 'as a contingency' if negotiations with the owners of six privately-owned former council homes and the corner shop fall through.
The plans have already divided opinion among some on the estate - a stone's throw from the bustling Rochdale Road. While some have given their backing, others like Flo are less happy.
"There's nothing wrong with my house," she said. "They should leave them alone.
"We need houses and we are taking these down and building new ones. If there was something wrong with them, I would say fair enough.
"They want to put a park where I live when there's a park right in front of me. They would be better spending the money on tidying the village up."
The council has promised to rehouse Flo and other displaced tenants on the new development, where construction of the 244 new homes is already underway. While Flo has agreed to move, she remains sceptical about her new home.
"It looks like an apartment to me," she said. "They've got a terrace on the top. Do they think we're in Ibiza or something?
"I'm not looking forward to it. They have sent me letters to say I'm getting a disturbance fee but that doesn't compensate for the fact that I've lost my home.
"I've been here 40 years and never had any trouble with the neighbours. What's it going to be like when I move?"
Bukky Akinfemiwa has lived on the estate since the early 2000s and is the proud owner of her family home. It is one of those earmarked for demolition, but she doesn't want to leave Collyhurst any time soon.
"We love this area," Ms Akinfemiwa explained. "It's close to town and the kids' schools.
"I don't mind if they knock our house down as long as they give us another. We don't have any choice because they are regenerating the whole area and the plan is already drawn up.
"I'm anxious because we've not had anything from the council. If we have to leave this area, I will be sad."
Another homeowner, who asked not to be named, has a different view. She says the area has become blighted by anti-social behaviour, crime and littering in recent years.
While she hopes the Collyhurst Village scheme will put an end to those problems, she has not yet decided whether she wants to move to the new development when her home is demolished.
In the meantime, she is waiting for the council to make an offer for her house.
"I've always wanted to leave this place," she explained. "I'm glad they are bringing everything down and rebuilding it.
"What they are doing is the best thing for Collyhurst. It's not about building properties, it's about changing the area.
"There's no point building new houses if you're not building anything to improve the lives of people around here. If that's going to bring any change in Collyhurst then maybe I'll stay."
Coun Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and employment, said: “The residential development in Collyhurst marks the first phase of the major Victoria North regeneration programme, which will include 274 new homes built in Collyhurst Village and Collyhurst South, including 130 council homes for social rent.
“Local people have been central to developing these plans, taking part in several consultation exercises - and the wider development has already received planning approval. It has been clear from the outset that to deliver the new homes in Collyhurst Village, alongside a new park, 29 existing properties and one commercial property will require demolition. It is these properties that could be subject to CPO, but negotiations with property owners will be exhausted before compulsory purchase powers are used.
“The council has also committed to ensuring that any residents displaced by the necessary demolitions will be offered one of the new homes being built in the area, and they will not be expected to move from their current property until a new home has been completed. No one will need to move out of the area unless they wish to.”
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