A MAN who begrudgingly moved out of a derelict housing estate says he still keeps an eye on his old gaff despite its demise.
Michael Keogh, 81, was the last resident to pack his bags and flee the once close-knit community of pensioners on Highfield Close in Stretford, Manchester on June 8 last year.
Former resident Michael Keogh says he still checks in on the now-derelict Highfield Close estate[/caption]
The estate is a shadow of its former kempt self[/caption]
Today, the 38 one-bed houses are plagued by overgrown gardens, piled up rubbish, tinned up windows and graffiti, Manchester Evening News reported.
But it was once a cosy haven for locals to spend their golden years with pals of a similar age.
“When I first moved I thought it had real potential,” Michael said.
“The back garden was incredible.
“There were lots of trees and views over the fields. I spent quite a, lot of money building a little courtyard and planting, so I had a nice place to sit out.
“It was such a nice community.”
Swirling rumours soon circulated of plans from their then-landlord Trafford Housing Trust to bulldoze around half-a-dozen homes.
The outfit later had plans approved to obliterate every single bungalow.
Trafford Housing Trust said the properties were situated on a ‘high risk’ flood plain and were built in a way that had ‘created severe damp and mould issues’.
A number of residents disputed those claims.
Since the bungalows were razed to the ground, the area has become a hotspot for vandals and metal thieves.
Michael continued: “The gates went first, then it was the lead flashing.
“It was bad enough when they ripped out the front doors and back doors, but then they got ransacked again and again.
“Look at it now, it’s desolate. It’s very sad.
“I was lucky, I just moved round the corner, but a lot ended up in Davyhulme or Urmston.”
Michael now resides in a maisonette around the corner from Highfield Close, but still routinely checks in on his old stomping ground.
Fellow resident Lynda Mawdsley also bemoaned the property’s demolition.
“They’re not taking my bloody home away from me, over my dead body,” she told the Manchester Evening News in 2022.
“When they said they had decided to demolish them, I just burst out crying.
“We’re not just a community, we’re a family.
“We look after each other here.”
The windows are now tinned up and the gardens are overgrown[/caption]
Many former residents bemoaned the decision to bulldoze the bungalows[/caption]
