Almost 150 affordable homes finally to be built in much neglected corner of Greater Manchester

More than a hundred new ‘affordable’ homes are planned for the site of a former railway in Oldham that has been left vacant for several years. 

If approved, developers Vestry Group and social housing provider First Choice Homes Oldham intend to deliver 147 homes, 90 of which will be for social rent, while 40 will be available for shared ownership and nine for rent-to-buy. 

Plans submitted to Oldham Council show the 50 new houses and two blocks with 97 apartments arranged on either side of a new road connecting the A62 Oldham Way Route to Southlink. 

Surrounded by greenery and cushioned from the noise of the main road by acoustic protection, the new homes are supposed to provide ‘an attractive, high quality’ housing offer, according to the developers. 

Mark Gifford OBE, chief executive of First Choice Homes Oldham, said: “FCHO is delighted to be partnering with Vistry Group to deliver Oldham’s next flagship housing scheme and our biggest ever development. Southlink is an exciting and financially strong project and, if granted planning permission, will create much-needed family homes people can afford to rent or buy and be proud of.

The land was once jointly owned by Oldham Borough Council and Transport for Greater Manchester but was sold to Vistry and FCHO last year in a bid to encourage development at the much-neglected Mumps end of Oldham town centre. Once home to the Mumps Railway station, which was demolished more than a decade ago, the site has sat as mostly vacant brownfield land for some time. 

The land has long been earmarked for development and the new development will be supported by grants from both Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Homes England.

The new houses are designed to be energy efficient, with low-carbon heating systems and improved insulation that will cut down energy costs for tenants, according to the developers.

Oldham Council have previously backed the scheme, with councillor Barbara Brownridge, the previous portfolio holder for housing, telling a cabinet meeting last year: “This will be one of the first 100 per cent low-carbon affordable housing developments in Greater Manchester, supporting our ambition to be the greenest borough.”

Council leader Arooj Shah also previously described the project as ‘huge’ news for Oldham. 

Originally, Vistry had offered to make 32 of the homes available for social rent, but this figure appears to have since almost tripled, according to the latest plans. 

The application has received zero objections on Oldham’s planning portal so far.