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Originally Posted by BERNADETTE
The area looks just as it is, a damn disgrace. Heres hoping that money will be invested to creat affordable options for buying for people on low wages rather than renting off rogue landlords who really don't give a toss about the state of the properties they rent out. Since most social housing was sold off some people on low incomes have very little as to where they rent. Hopefully the area will be brought back to life with affordable options to buy for decent people. Not all people who live in this area are scum but maybe the council should have addressed the situation sooner. Other arreas of the borough have had more than their fair share of regeneration funds, why was Woodnook allowed to get in the state it is in to start with. Makes my blood boil that some areas get all the funding whilst others are left to rot.
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I would think that council would have some sort of 'part-buy' scheme in place so that those on low incomes can afford these renovated houses.
I am almost certain that these houses WON'T be sold to rogue landlords once renovated and that Hyndburn Council will have a social landlord on board with the scheme, someone like Twin Valley Homes, who will oversee responsible letting and maintenance of properties. Plus anyone buying these homes once renovated will probably have conditions attached to the deeds of the property so that they can't be sold on quickly either for a profit or to 'rogue' landlords.
A similar scheme in Nelson was shown on the BBC's Empty Homes show and this has had generally good publicity. Streets of fully renovated properties which people are keen to buy because they have been knocked 2into1 making large four bedroom properties. The Daily Mail should show these.
It is very sad that Woodnook is looking like this. The best thing is probably to demolish them. But in other areas of East Lancashire heritage groups have objected to demolition on the grounds that these types of properties are of historic value. I don't know if this has happened in Accrington.
As for other areas getting the cash first. I don't work for Hyndburn Council. But the Housing Market Renewal scheme was meant to last for 15 years and the ConDem government pulled the plug about 6 years into that period. Unfortunately this has probably meant that some areas which were next now wouldn't get help or help will be delayed until sums are available from other sources. This is what I would guess from articles I have read.