"No amount of compensation could move me out of here": The residents offered £7k to leave Seven Sisters

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Residents who have been offered £7k to leave their homes in Rochdale have spoken of their anxieties over the future.

Those currently living in the Seven Sisters tower blocks will be paid in excess of £7,000 if they permanently relocate their flats, according to a letter from the company which manages them.

The letter, from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), says residents who move to another RBH home — or another private house — can expect a £7,100 ‘homeloss payment’ from the firm, plus help towards moving costs.

The firm says it’s taking the step to ensure there are enough homes across the College Bank complex when refurbishment gets underway.

That refurbishment is set to begin in 2023, the letter adds, and will complete in 2025.

READ MORE: "Look at the f****** state of this street": Life on the housing estate that was shamed on TikTok

During that two-year spell, residents in the affected blocks will be relocated into a sister building — known as a ‘decant move’.

The ‘masterplan’ for the area will see four of the seven high-rises demolished — with only Underwood, Mardyke, and Holland Rise remaining, albeit after a £12 million refurbishment.

A 66-year-old woman, who lives in Underwood, said the thought of leaving her home makes her feel anxious.

“No amount of compensation could move me out of here,” she told the Manchester Evening News.

“I love it.

"I just feel really disappointed because I love it here. I feel safe; we only have one way in and there's all the cameras.

"I've been here 30 years and it's a lifetime.

"I'm 66 and with ill health. I can't see me moving anywhere else.

"They say I qualify for a bungalow. But because I've been here for 30 years and I've been high up, I can't have anyone walking past my