For owner occupiers, our aim is still to not use any Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO).  To date no CPOs have been issued.

We hope to be able to engage with every customer and help to find the best resolution for everyone.  However, unfortunately, if a resolution cannot be found with some customers, Riverside may have to proceed with the CPO route to ensure the build programme is not affected.  We are here to engage with you and support you through this process, so please contact us for further information and assistance.

The CPO process, costs and values will be further clarified if we have to proceed down this route.

No, we are providing everyone with at least 18 months’ notice before requiring your home, so that we have sufficient time to help you find a suitable property locally.

Due to the delay in starting works, we may not have sufficient new properties built by the time we need you to move out of your current home.

If this is the case, we will find you a suitable home on a temporary basis within the local area until your permanent home is completed.  You will be fully supported during both your temporary and your permanent moves.

Yes.  We will pay for removals for both your temporary move and your permanent move.  You will, however, only get one home loss payment, which will be paid when you move out of your current home.

Joshua Allen has recently joined Riverside to carry out maintenance tasks across the estate.

His duties include monitoring empty properties and maintaining their gardens on a regular schedule. This is to ensure consistent standards across the area while regeneration work progresses.

We can confirm that we are still actively carrying out repairs on our occupied rental homes in the area and encourage you to log any repairs as you normally would.  This process will continue until you have moved out of your current home.

As of March 2026, we are looking to issue the first notices very soon, to those households due to be within Phase One of works.  We aim to have the phasing plan finalised by our next engagement events in April 2026, so everyone understands the timescales we will be working to and when you will receive your 18 months’ notice.

Once you receive your notice, we will actively assist you with finding a new home.

You will be entitled to Band A status on Property Pool Plus once there are 12 months remaining until we require your property.  When you get your formal 12 months’ notice, you will be able to update your Property Pool Plus application and your banding will be revised.

We want to reassure residents about who the new homes are for and how allocations work.

Existing residents will be prioritised. For homes linked to the regeneration, our focus is to support existing residents and homeowners affected by the programme. Riverside customers will be assisted through the rehousing process, and we will work directly with residents as their homes are impacted.

Allocations in Halton are managed through Property Pool Plus, the local choice‑based lettings scheme. Applicants are prioritised based on assessed housing need and other criteria, and must meet eligibility requirements, including local connection and residency or immigration conditions.

If your home is required for regeneration, you will not have to manage the move on your own — we will support you to find a suitable home.

We understand that rumours like this can cause anxiety, so we want to clarify the facts.

The facts are allocations are based on need and local connection, not ethnicity or nationality.

Our commitment in this regeneration is to support existing residents and homeowners, and we are prioritising them for new builds linked to the regeneration programme.

All homes are allocated in line with the relevant allocations process and eligibility criteria. In Halton, this includes the use of Property Pool Plus, where applicants must meet scheme eligibility requirements (including residency/immigration conditions) and are prioritised based on assessed housing need and local connection.

If you have questions about your own rehousing position or when you will be contacted, please get in touch with the regeneration team.

The regeneration will deliver a mix of new homes across the Local Centre and The Uplands, designed to meet a range of needs. Importantly, existing residents will be prioritised. This includes:

• Flats, houses and bungalows
• Homes from 1 to 4 bedrooms
• A mix of homes for different households, including individuals, families and older residents.

To give one clear example of the housing mix, in the Uplands the plans include:

• 16 bungalows (1–3 bedrooms)
• 159 houses (2–4 bedrooms)
• 82 own-front-door apartments (1–2 bedrooms)

Residents and the local community have helped shape the housing mix through years of engagement since 2019, including surveys, events, meetings and Housing Needs Surveys. This feedback has helped us plan a broader mix of homes — including bungalows and a wider range of sizes – to better reflect local needs and the changing needs of the community, including accessibility and the needs linked to an ageing population.

Most of the new homes will be affordable homes managed by Riverside, with a mix of options including:

• Social rent
• Home ownership options such as shared ownership and rent to buy, to help local people step onto the housing ladder

A proportion of homes for open market sale, helping to create a balanced and sustainable community.

Across the Local Centre and The Uplands, the proposed tenure split is: 69% social rent, 11% Riverside Home Ownership, and 20% open market.

Rather than listing every home in letters or emails, we have published clear plans and breakdowns on our website. Click the links below to view the plans:

• Overall masterplan
• Overall Local Centre masterplan and Overall Phasing Plan and Phase One Delivery Plan
• Overall The Uplands masterplan and Overall Phase One Delivery plan.

As with all regeneration projects, plans may be refined as the programme progresses. We will continue to share updates through the website, newsletters and events.

New walking and cycling routes are being improved locally, but they will not connect directly to council‑led cycle routes. As part of the regeneration, new footpaths and green walking and cycling routes will be created through The Uplands and the Local Centre, alongside improvements to some existing paths. These routes will not directly link to existing or planned council cycle routes. However, as previously explained during consultation events, they will connect to nearby transport routes, such as the busway, making it easier to continue journeys using public transport.

Residents whose homes are affected first will be contacted first — but you do not need to wait to hear from us. One‑to‑one meetings are being arranged in phases, based on when homes are affected by the regeneration. If you would like a one‑to‑one meeting now, you can contact us at any time and we will arrange this. No one will be missed, and we will continue to keep residents informed as the programme progresses. You are welcome to bring an advocate to any meeting, such as a family member, friend, neighbour, your MP or local councillor.

You are welcome to bring an advocate to any meeting, such as a family member, friend, neighbour, your MP or local councillor.

Data Protection and human rights laws are not barriers to justified information sharing, but they do provide a framework to ensure that personal information about you is shared appropriately and safely.

There may be instances where you request that we engage with somebody on your behalf as an advocate.

In these instances, it’s important that we have your consent to do so and that you are able to confirm:

• what data you wish to share
• who you wish us to share it with
• how long you wish the authorisation to last​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Consent to Disclose Form can be completed and returned to us at: [email protected]

In some instances, we may receive a form provided by a third party and completed by you. For the consent to be valid, it should contain the information above.

Compendium Living is a company jointly owned by Riverside and Lovell. They support the planning and management of large, complex regeneration projects, like the one taking place in Runcorn.

For the Palace Fields regeneration:

• Riverside remains your landlord and continues to provide your day‑to‑day services
• Lovell is the company building the new homes
• Compendium Living helps oversee and manage the regeneration programme.

As we’ve shared previously in newsletters and public meetings, Compendium Living has been brought in to support Riverside with this long‑term project and to help
ensure it delivers good‑quality homes and a better neighbourhood for both current and future residents. If you live in the area, your tenancy, rent and day‑to‑day services stay the same, and Riverside remains responsible for supporting you.

Regeneration is about improving the whole neighbourhood, not just upgrading individual homes. The Local Centre and the Uplands were chosen because they play a central role in how the neighbourhood works: how people move around, access services, use green space and connect with the wider area.

Retrofitting will be used where appropriate, however retrofitting alone can’t deliver the wider, long‑term changes needed across the neighbourhood, especially where the issues are about layout, safer connections and access to services and transport. As shared through engagement activity, some buildings also can’t be upgraded to modern standards without significant disruption or cost — and even where upgrades are possible, they still wouldn’t resolve wider neighbourhood problems like poor layout or lack of connections.

This regeneration is designed to deliver long‑term neighbourhood benefits: a stronger neighbourhood centre, a wider mix of homes and tenures, and improved public spaces and routes that better connect the neighbourhood and key transport hubs. The aim is to create a sustainable community by providing a broader range of homes that meet local needs now, and in the future, including those of an ageing population, while also attracting new families to support a balanced, thriving neighbourhood.

Regeneration can also bring wider economic benefits. We estimate the project could support 109 direct jobs and 137 indirect jobs, with opportunities for local trades, skills and potential apprenticeships, alongside a focus on using local businesses to supply construction materials and services, where possible.

Plans for Palace Fields have been shaped by years of conversations, workshops and consultation, which commenced in 2019, with residents and other key stakeholders. Riverside has been part of Runcorn since 1989, we are here for the long term and, our aim is to benefit both current and future residents by creating a neighbourhood that everyone can be proud to call home.

We have been engaging with residents and the wider community about regeneration in Palace Fields since 2019. This has included surveys, newsletters, drop‑in events, open meetings and face‑to‑face discussions. While engagement was limited during COVID, it restarted and increased from 2022 onwards, with regular updates, consultation events and Housing Needs Surveys. As previously explained, engagement is continuing through the planning and delivery stages of the programme, so residents are kept informed and supported as plans progress.

CPO is not our starting point and is only considered as a last resort. We understand this is a worrying question and want to be clear and open. As shared previously in newsletters and public meetings:

• No CPOs have been issued to date
• Our strong preference is always to work with residents individually
• The aim is to reach a fair, agreed solution wherever possible.

This involves meeting with you, listening to your concerns, exploring options and providing support. Only if all reasonable efforts to reach agreement with a small number of households were exhausted, Riverside may have to consider the CPO process as a last resort, in formal partnership with the local authority, to allow the regeneration to move forward. We want to be clear that this is not our approach or intention, and we hope it will not be needed. Our focus remains on engagement, fairness and support. If you have concerns, please contact us so we can discuss your situation properly.

Yes — improvements that add value will be reflected in the valuation. If your home is affected by the regeneration, it will be valued independently by a qualified valuer registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), based on its current open market value. As previously explained, the valuation will consider:

• Extensions or structural improvements
• Converted spaces
• Upgrades that add value to the property.

Homeowners will be able to ask questions about the valuation and challenge it if they believe it does not fairly reflect their home. We recognise the investment many people have made in their properties and want to ensure each case is considered fairly and individually.

You will not be financially disadvantaged because of this.

We understand why some homeowners chose not to invest further once regeneration plans were known. If your home is affected, it will be valued independently based on its open market value as if the regeneration were not happening. The valuation will not be reduced because you chose not to redecorate or carry out improvements due to the proposed demolition. As with all valuations, the valuer will consider the type, size and general condition of the property in line with similar homes in the area. Regeneration plans themselves are not considered. We know this can feel unsettling and want to be clear that each case will be treated fairly and individually. If you would like to talk this through, please contact us and we will be happy to explain the process in more detail.