In May this year Halton Council’s Development Management Committee met at Runcorn Town Hall where it approved plans by housing association, Riverside for the next phase of a £60m regeneration scheme in Palace Fields, Runcorn.
Speaking at the meeting, objector and local resident, Mr Davidson said many residents were struggling to sleep due to worry and stress, with some needing to take antidepressants. Calling the situation "a huge mess", he said: “They’re actually knocking down more than they’re building, which makes absolutely no sense. The money’s apparently coming from the government’s Levelling Up scheme but I can’t see how that’s levelling up because they’re making less homes.
He continued: “All the estate agents around here are going to put the prices up because they know people are going to want to stay in the area for hospitals, schools and for work. So the market is inflated because more people are going to need homes." Carl claims "everyone is devastated" by the plans. He said: “I’d prefer that they didn’t knock this down but if they’re adamant about it then it has to be like for like; if they want my three-bed house then they need to give me one of their three-bed houses - or at least more than the extra 10% because this house alone has set me back at least £160k.
“The group now meets every month and has grown from three to 12 people on the committee. Members include councillors Alan Lowe and Dave Thompson - they’re superb for their support." “Then suddenly, we get a letter through the door saying that our house is earmarked for demolition. There was no ‘would you consider it?'"
A spokesperson for Riverside said: “We have been working closely with residents in Palace Fields since 2019, and they have played a fundamental role in shaping our regeneration plans. We want to reassure residents that we remain committed to working with them and listening to their feedback. “As part of the project, we are prioritising existing homeowners and residents for the new and existing homes, and will offer a range of options to enable impacted homeowners to be able to afford to move into the newly developed homes such as enhanced disturbance payment and equity loans. We are in the process of producing offer documents ready to communicate these offers to affected homeowners, and will meet the cost of independent financial advice for those affected.