West Vale development reaches new heights

Eighty-eight new affordable homes in Oldham have moved a step closer to completion, as the West Vale exemplar development in Coldhurst has reached its highest point.

Local housing association First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) is working with main contractor, Caddick Construction, to build the contemporary, sustainable mixed-tenure project at the top of Manchester Street, to meet local housing need.

Now the seven-storey apartment block at West Vale has reached its full height, Anne McLoughlin, Chief Executive (Interim) at FCHO came together on site with Cllr Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing; Sohida Banu, Manager - Affordable Housing Growth at Homes England; and Peter Carroll, Contracts Manager, and Damien Saxon, Apprentice Engineer, both from Caddick Construction, to mark the milestone.

Once complete, the apartment building, which stands more than 26m tall, will comprise of 62 one and two-bedroom homes, all for affordable rent.

Also planned for the £21m scheme are 26 two, three and four-bedroom family houses for shared ownership, helping local people get on the housing ladder at an affordable price.

To support residents to save energy and money, all homes will be off gas, with a high energy performance rating, and use the latest low carbon technologies including air source heat pumps and additional insulation, which exceeds the requirements by Building Regulations.

Plans for the West Vale site include landscaped green spaces and a recreational zone with dedicated play area too, providing a much-needed facility for younger children in the neighbourhood.

The project, which is due for completion in winter 2024, is part of FCHO’s ambitious strategy to deliver 1,100 high quality, sustainable new homes in Oldham and surrounding areas 2020-2026 to improve the lives of local people.

Anne McLoughlin, Chief Executive (Interim) at FCHO, said: “I am delighted to see our plans for the neighbourhood becoming a reality and reaching this milestone is a terrific opportunity to celebrate the progress we are making here at West Vale.

“Community is at the heart of the development, and we have worked hard to design a scheme that will help increase supply of genuinely affordable homes, offer a mix of houses and flats to suit different people and families and set the bar for high standards of energy efficiency to benefit residents in years to come.”

Paul Dodsworth, Managing Director at Caddick Construction Group, added: “Celebrating this milestone gives us the opportunity to reflect on the huge success of the build so far.

"Between our experienced construction team and our extensive local supply chain partners, we are making excellent progress, as we safely reach half-way point of the delivery programme.

"Our appointment to build this fantastic scheme for FCHO was made possible through our partnership with the Innovation Chain North Framework.

“Our positive impact on the community has been at the forefront throughout.

"Not only are we bringing these much-needed, affordable homes to the local area but we’ve already exceeded some of our social value pledges with nearly 100 new jobs created, three student placements on-site this far, £5,000 donated to local community projects and £4,000 to poverty prevention initiatives.”

Cllr Elaine Taylor, Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing at Oldham Council, said: “This is a fantastic development which will bring much-needed new homes to the borough.

"We’re in a housing crisis and every new home will change someone’s life for the better.

“There’s a great mix of properties to suit a wide range of people’s needs - which is exactly what we need in Oldham.

“I’m also pleased to see how sustainable they are.

"Future residents can enjoy lower energy bills and less impact on the environment - something that is a real priority for us as a council.

“I look forward to seeing West Vale continue to develop and create a vibrant new neighbourhood.”

As the West Vale scheme moves forward, FCHO is also spending c.£780k 2023-2025 on energy efficiency improvement works to the housing provider’s existing properties in the neighbourhood to make them sustainable into the future.

Environmental improvements and upgrades to communal blocks are planned too and so far FCHO has invested £9.5k on tree inspections, maintenance and planting, and a further £63.5k on clearing alleyways of rubbish and removing fly-tipping, repairing and repainting fencing, and overhauling a disused communal garden behind Vale Drive.

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