Protests at Corrie star's old house in HMO mix-up

5 hours ago

George Lythgoe,Local Democracy Reporting Serviceand

Georgie Docker,North West

News image — Protesters waved St George's flags and Union Jacks outside the mansion after false claims that it was being turned into a house in multiple occupation

Heywood Community Guard Protesters with St George's flags and Union Jacks, banners and flares gather in coats with dogs on the road outside the house. — Protesters waved St George's flags and Union Jacks outside the mansion after false claims that it was being turned into a house in multiple occupation

Protesters descended on the former home of a Coronation Street legend after false rumours spread that the site was to be used to house immigrants.

Demonstrators gathered outside the £1.5m mansion in Heywood, Greater Manchester, previously owned by Julie Goodyear - who played Bet Lynch in the ITV soap - after claims the property was to become a house in multiple occupation (HMO).

The protest came after some building work began at Primrose Hill Farm without planning permission. Rochdale Council confirmed no plans had been submitted to house immigrants.

"We have to stop this disinformation," said Councillor Paul O'Neill. "There is no planning permission for this property and building has stopped."

PA Julie Goodyear, blonde hair up, dressed in sparkles and heavy make-up outside Coronation Street's Rovers Return Inn. — Julie Goodyear owned the property for decades before selling it in April 2025

The last official request for planning permission at Primrose Hill Farm was made by Goodyear herself, back in 2006, to fill in an all-weather exercise arena.

This request was refused, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, after Goodyear sold the property in 2025, a building control application for a 15-bed HMO was submitted to the council in October.

The application was amended on 10 November 2025 to become a 15-bedroom bed and breakfast.

Building control plans were amended again on 11 February, to create 10 two-bedroom apartments. The stable would be converted into a three-bedroom house.

Rochdale Council confirmed the application was not valid due to a lack of detail, meaning it was never published on the council's planning portal.

No proposal of immigrants being housed at the site was included in plans publicly available on the council's website.

Despite no permission for any form of building work being granted, work did start at the property, sparking misinformation and the demonstration.

The local authority issued a temporary stop notice on 20 February.

The council confirmed the developer had complied with the order.

Sean Hansford Front gates of a property boarded up. There is a gold eagle statue on the gate. — No official decision has yet been made on an application to build 10 apartments at Primrose Hill Farm

A spokesperson for Rochdale Council said: "The individual concerned did submit a planning application to us some weeks ago, but this application was for nine dwellings, not an HMO.

"This application wasn't valid, so is not listed on our website, as would be the case with any invalid application.

"An invalid application is one where the applicant hasn't submitted enough information to enable officers to make a recommendation on whether the application should be approved.

"Regarding the reported building on site without planning permission, the temporary stop notice remains in place and our enforcement team are making regular visits to the site and speaking to residents in neighbouring properties to ensure that the individual concerned is complying with this temporary stop notice."

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