"The regeneration has rebuilt Hattersely for the 21st Century. It has been done by and with the community and the local authority and we are proud to have played our part."
Bronwen Rapley from Onward Homes
According to Onward Homes, more than £100 million has been invested into the area in the last decade.
The report, commissioned by Onward Homes from the University of Liverpool’s Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place, has been produced by Dr Paul Hepburn and Dr Matthew Thompson.
Onward is the landlord for 1,500 homes in Hattersley and Mottram (formerly known as Peak Valley Housing Association) and has, since 2006, invested £65m in a major housing refurbishment programme as well as building 130 new homes for rent at a cost of £13.3m.
The report highlights the impact of mixing tenures and maintaining community cohesion whilst ensuring that communities make the necessary links outward.
Housebuilder, Barratt Homes, has built a total of 830 new homes, with its last completed site in Hattersley being one of the fastest selling developments in the country.
A new district centre has been created which includes a Tesco Extra, with 90 per cent of its workforce living locally who either walk or cycle to work. A purpose-built community facility, which houses the local library, is another new local amenity. A further retail development including a Lidl store is also planned for the area.
The local authority, Tameside MBC has made improvements to education with school catchment area restructuring and the construction of the Discovery Academy, a primary school that opened in September 2016 and educates 446 local children from 3 – 11 years old.
To improve transport links, a new bus service now connects the bus network with the station, which has been redesigned to be more accessible. This has led to a 30% increase in usage. Further improvements including upgrading the booking office and replacing the covered walkway are planned.
Bronwen Rapley, chief executive of Onward said: “The report concludes that the regeneration of Hattersley has been successful, creating a community where people now want to live. There is a thriving market for new build homes and a new generation coming to live in Hattersley. New shops, a large Tesco, and a proposed new retail development are bringing jobs, the majority of which have been taken by local people.
The regeneration at Hattersley and Mottram has not displaced a community, it has rebuilt it for the 21st Century. It has been done by and with the community and the local authority and we are proud to have played our part. As a major social landlord in the area we are here for the long term and are well placed to drive further regeneration. We have learnt from our successes and this report will shape what we do going forward.”
Professor Mark Boyle, Director of the Heseltine Institute, said: “The regeneration of the Hattersley and Mottram housing estate has been impressive and sets strong foundations for another planned decade of renaissance under the stewardship of Onward Homes.
“Hattersley always had a strong and proud community. Today, this community can look forward to a bright future, a prospect that was less certain a decade ago.
“Lessons can be learned from the regeneration of similar housing estates, particularly in relation to the importance of crafting public-private partnerships, tenure diversification, front line service staff working the community in collaboration with the residents they serve and robust governance arrangements.
“As elsewhere, housing based regeneration alone can only gesture to the deeper socio-economic challenges which persist. Addressing these challenges will require a multi-agency response of which housing associations will constitute a key partner.”
Over the next 10 years plans are afoot to complete the public realm works, build more new homes and local amenities and expand community involvement.
The regeneration work has been made possible through a Collaboration Agreement with Tameside MBC and Barratt Homes was supported by English Partnerships (now known as Homes England).
For more information on Onward visit onward.co.uk.
