Inside Oldham's first community led homes project

Nestled in the sloping hillsides of Woodbrook Valley in Saddleworth sits Laureates Place.

Described by one resident as 'an oasis of calm', Laureates Place has a strong community.

That community spirit is all the more striking given the residents had been total strangers when they came together in 2014 to start a community led housing project.

The group came together because they all had a desire to find affordable homes, but couldn’t find any.

They didn’t want to relocate either because they had grown up in Saddleworth, so they explored the option of building their own homes.

Building homes as a community was a real opportunity to build affordable homes.

Land for self-builds was expensive, with the price of a single self-build plot of land in Saddleworth at the time being £325,000.

So the group set up a company – Laureates Place Self-Build Ltd – which they used to purchase a former breaker’s yard in the area going for £200,000.

Each household chipped in around £27,000, and the end result is a number of beautiful bespoke affordable homes. “It’s like Grand Designs

Community led homes projects mean communities have more say on local development.

Laureates Place Self-Build Ltd consulted the residents of Woodbrook on their proposal before approaching local authorities, showing the plans at an exhibition in the local pub, the Spinners Arms.

“We could present ourselves as being real people, rather than faceless developers,” resident Steve said.

“People could look us in the eye and see we weren’t in it for a quick buck.

“There was blood, sweat and tears – none of us had experience of managing a community led homes project before.

"But we overcame the challenges because we all believed in the project.”

Another resident, Melanie, said: “The project has made a group of people friends for life – and not just the people living at Laureates Place.

"The children on the self-build play with the kids in the adjacent cottages.

"The project has strengthened community beyond the project itself.”

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