Britain’s loneliest tenant penned in flat and refuses to depart as bulldozers shut in
An autistic tenant is refusing to leave his home on a doomed, deserted Rochdale estate, where his flat is the last one occupied among 126 empty properties
Andy Roche, 51, is the sole resident out of 126 flats scheduled to be flattened(Image: SWNS)
A lone tenant is refusing to leave his home on a doomed ghost estate – despite being the last person left standing. Andy Roche, 51, is the sole resident out of 126 flats scheduled to be flattened on the Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Six surrounding 1960s tower blocks are already empty and boarded up with plywood, leaving Andy and his partner living in an “eerie” wasteland while housing bosses prepare to tear it down.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) wants to bulldoze the site to build up to 270 new homes. But unemployed Andy, who has lived in his £95-a-week one-bed flat for 28 years, is putting up a fight.
Several 1960s tower blocks are already empty and boarded up with plywood(Image: SWNS)
He said: “We don’t want to leave this area – it’s where I’ve lived all my life since leaving my parents’ home. There’s never any trouble – and we like all of the green space.”
Andy and his partner are both autistic and claim RBH is failing to accommodate their specific needs, even offering them unsuitable places next to a pub and a metalworks.
He said: “Because we’re both autistic, we have very specific needs when it comes to things like noise, smells and lights. We’ve given RBH a list of our housing needs – but they seem to be ignoring it.”
Andy and his partner are living in the ghost town while housing bosses prepare to tear it down(Image: SWNS)
Living in a deserted block has turned into a nightmare. With no heating in neighbouring flats, their home is freezing and Andy fears criminals are targeting the area.
He said: “We feel isolated. We worry about people breaking in when we’re out of the flat. When I hear someone outside, I think – have they come with machines to knock us down?
“When I hear the letterbox, my heart sinks because I think there’s going to be a letter saying that they’re taking us to court.”
The Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale is set to be bulldozed and replaced by up to 270 new homes(Image: SWNS)
After being hit with a notice seeking possession, Andy says the mental toll is devastating.
He said: “It’s so distressing – I can’t understate that. It’s almost a matter of life and death with how distressing it is.”
Neighbours on nearby blocks are also baffled by the situation. Mum-of-six Gemma Lucas, 32, said: “We’re in a housing crisis – but those blocks are just sitting there empty waiting to get knocked down. Why can’t people move into them?”
RBH claims the dilapidated blocks have reached the end of their life and can no longer provide safe, warm housing.
A spokesperson for RBH said: “We understand this is a very difficult situation for the customers involved, and we have been and will continue to work with them and their representatives to support them with finding a new home that meets their needs.
“Since June 2025, we have made five offers of new homes, including properties within Lower Falinge and nearby. We will continue to provide tailored practical and financial support throughout the move alongside our partners.”
