Residents of Manchester's India House have been told the scaffolding covering their building will remain until early 2028, extending what they describe as a 'nightmare' that has already lasted six years. The block on Whitworth Street, managed by the Guinness Partnership, has had scaffolding around it on and off for the last six years, according to those living there.
The scaffolding first went up for roof works. Residents say it has made life 'miserable'.
Historic Building and Its Significance
India House was first built between 1905 and 1912 as a packing warehouse before being converted into flats from 1988. Parts of the building are Grade-II listed. It was one of the first buildings in Manchester city centre to provide social housing and was home to Oasis star Noel Gallagher in the 1990s, where he wrote songs for the albums Definitely Maybe and What's the Story, Morning Glory.
A meeting called by Guinness at Friends Meeting House last week to update residents descended into 'chaos', according to one attendee, leaving people 'more confused and upset'.
Residents Express Anger at Meeting
A Guinness Partnership spokesman said the scaffolding 'will be removed in early 2028', adding: "We apologise to residents for the ongoing disruption and inconvenience while we work to improve India House."
One resident, who asked not to be named, said Guinness gave a 'plastic apology' at the meeting and failed to reassure people, leading to anger and heightened emotions. They added: "It was unbelievable, there was shouting, the meeting was absolute chaos. The residents were not happy. A few residents at the end of the meeting were totally shocked."
Guinness is a housing provider with more than 70,000 properties around England, including in London, Liverpool, and Cornwall.
Pressure on the Landlord
Councillor Anthony McCaul has been pushing bosses on the matter. He said: "Residents at India House are rightly angry that these works are harming their quality of life. It has been frustrating that they have gone on for so long with longer still left to finish. We are talking about people's homes. They should be a safe, welcoming, happy place, but for too many residents here that is not the case. We are demanding residents are treated better throughout these works and beyond. Councillor [Marcus] Johns and I, with Lucy Powell, will keep up the pressure on Guinness to make things better for residents."
A spokesperson for the Guinness Partnership said: "We are investing a significant amount in improving the homes and building at India House. Working on this listed building is complex and as is often the case with historic buildings, additional issues have emerged during the course of works, leading to extensions to the programme. As shared at the meeting, our contractors and architects estimate that the scaffolding will be removed in early 2028. We appreciate this is later than originally planned – this is due to the additional works identified. It is preferable these works are undertaken now to avoid the need to re-scaffold the building in the near future."
The spokesperson added: "We know the improvement works are disruptive and inconvenient to residents, and we are sorry for this. We welcomed hearing from residents at the recent meeting. We appreciate that residents are angry and frustrated at the duration of the improvement works and the impact these have on their lives while they are ongoing, and we value their sharing their views with openness. We recognise that our communication with residents at India House needs improvement. We are writing to all residents to provide a fuller update on the works, as well as details of the support package we will be providing, and will arrange another meeting with residents in the near future. Once again, we apologise to residents for the ongoing disruption and inconvenience while we work to improve India House."
