Cabinet Member for Housing condemns new ECR master plan

Councillor Zulf Ali has condemned the new East Central Rochdale (ECR) master plan for the decision to remove residents from their bungalows without a full and proper consultation. Councillor Ali who is also the Cabinet member for housing was referring to the Cliff Street Bungalows, where local people are being evicted to make way for a link to the new Belfield Business Park.

Councillor Ali said: "Having attended the local panel meeting, I can see that local residents on Cliff Street are not happy with the way Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) has handled their situation. I believe that there should have been further discussion about this development with local residents and that their views should have been considered. What they are doing is verging on intimidating elderly residents who have lived in these bungalows for a very long time. The residents have excellent views and they give a lot of pleasure to the people in the community.

"RDA has provided very little information for people and they seem to have their own agenda. I have written a letter to the Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council expressing my concerns and I await his reply. As a ward councillor and Cabinet Member for Housing, I strongly urge that the bungalows should not be demolished in the first place and that RDA find another link to the business park. I will continue to fight on behalf of local residents to see more bungalows built, not to demolish existing ones.