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Housing mess will take years to sort out

Mat Nicholson
31/ 1/2003

SALFORD Council's housing chief has admitted "it must be horrible" to live on run down streets in Broughton and Blackfriars.

Housing director Harry Seaton's admission came as he faced a barrage of questions from frustrated locals at a packed special meeting of Blackfriars and Broughton Community Committee.

The meeting was called so development services officer Dave Evans could deliver a presentation covering Salford's replacement Unitary Development Plan the council blueprint for future development. But he and other council officials were soon swamped with demands for immediate action.

One angry resident said she had lived on Kempster Street, Lower Broughton for 40 years and had seen the area deteriorate. She fumed: "By the time you lot have made up your minds what to do, half of us will be dead!"

Another local demanded action be taken to tackle rats which he claimed were thriving in derelict houses.

And Wiltshire Street resident, Sue Davies received applause when she exclaimed: "You say there's no money to put in from Salford Council - how's that with the council tax we pay here?

"We get nothing back from Salford Council and when we ask for things we always get told it's not in the budget. I have lived here all my life and paid council tax. A lot of the people here feel we are getting nothing back."

She asked why plans had been put forward to build on playing fields near Tully Street and Northumberland Street - known locally as 'Top Fields' - when demolishing abandoned houses on Wiltshire Street would provide an ideal development site.

Housing boss Harry Seaton told her: "The problems faced by Wiltshire Street are faced elsewhere. It costs £10,000 to demolish each unit. The problem is for Salford the budget for housing next year is about £4m and that would be swallowed up just like that, that's why we have solve our problems by being imaginative."

Mr Seaton added: "I am the first to accept this is all very difficult for people who live in these places. It is horrible for you that have to live there, but this is going to take years to sort out."