Residents of Haughton Green’s high-rise flats claim they have been kept in the dark over repairs to outside cladding on the three tower blocks.

Contractors have recently put-up scaffolding and safety fencing leaving tenants of Castleton Court, Southey Court and Fitzgerald Court anxious about the future of the flats and seeking a clear statement of intent from Irwell Valley Homes which manages the towers and the surrounding Mancunian Road estate.

They point out that the cladding, which is a little over ten years old, has already had to be patched up when pieces have fallen off in strong winds, leading them to speculate that it is about to be renewed en bloc.

Denton South ward councillors Jack Naylor, George Newton and Clare Reid, along with MP Andrew Gwynne, have demanded urgent answers and pledged to keep the community informed.

For many it has triggered memories of the constant noise and disturbance they had to endure while the cladding was being installed to revitalise the towers, originally built by Manchester Corporation in the 1960s.

One woman, a former high-rise resident who now has a house nearby on the estate, recalled that the revamp in 2012 had cost ‘over £2 million’ with the designs by the Red Or Dead fashion brand receiving mixed reviews from the residents, but ultimately winning approval. 

“Over the past two to three years, the exteriors have significantly deteriorated with some areas appearing visibly unsafe,” she said. 

“On parts of the high-rise apartments there is a patchwork of aluminium panels in place to protect further debris falling away. The buildings now resemble structures several decades older.”

Several tenants have also complained about ongoing problems of damp and water penetration, fuelling speculation that the tower blocks could be re-styled with pitched roofs, reduced in size or even demolished.

Second floor tenant Mark wondered if they were now ‘past their sell-by date, with all the patching up on the outside and raining in, which has happened a few times.’

Steven, who lives in one of the other high-rise blocks, said: “To be fair, I’ve always found Irwell Valley to be a good landlord. I grew up round here and this estate is much better now than it used to be. 

“The problem is, they don’t explain to you what’s happening, like with the scaffolding and what they are planning to do with the cladding.”

Sasha Deepwell, Chief Executive, Irwell Valley Homes, said: “Resident safety is our number one priority. In recent months, some render at our high-rise blocks in Haughton Green came loose in severe weather. 

“We have installed an exclusion zone as a safety measure which will be in place whilst we rectify the issues.”

She promised that residents would be consulted over the remedial works in order to minimise disruption. 

“We continue to keep customers updated as we understand the situation is concerning. The Community Co-ordinators have also visited residents in the blocks and continue to offer a point of contact for our customers there.

“We are taking the matter extremely seriously and are in contact with the company responsible for supplying and fitting the render.”

She added that a £650,000 roofing replacement programme had just been completed to ensure the high-rise blocks continue to be well insulated and watertight. 

The company provides a ‘responsive repair service’ and residents are encouraged to report any issues. 

New members are also invited to join its buildings safety forum: contact customer voice lead Daniel Isherwood Daniel.isherwood@irwellvalley.co.uk or call 0300 561 1111.