Private homes plan approved

Cllr. Barbara Brownridge

THE second phase of a housing development plan at Primrose Bank in Coppice was approved by cabinet members last bight.

The proposal would see the construction of up to 18 new homes for private sale on remaining plots of land with Keepmoat Regeneration.

It forms part of the Gateways to Oldham Private Finance Initiative regeneration scheme, which has seen 317 new homes built between 2011 and 2015 at Primrose Bank (Coppice), Dew Way (Westwood), Keswick Avenue (Fitton Hill) and Crossley (Central Chadderton).

In 2015, Oldham Council stepped in after Inspiral Developments Oldham agreed to relinquish their rights to build houses for private sale in the area following "poor performance of first phase sales".

After addressing the designs of the properties and piloting an approach where, if the properties did not sell they would be added to the Council's Housing Revenue Account stock without incurring a net loss, this approach is now being rolled out for the second phase.

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and co-operatives, said: "Primrose Bank has been very successful after hitting a bit of a snag at the beginning because the type of housing that was being built didn't actually meet the needs of the community who wanted to live there and that has been resolved.

"Although this is a fall back position in case those new houses don't sell the council will get them back, we are actually very confident they will actually sell.

"The development has been successful and we are getting a really good community with lots of initiatives and we are optimistic that this will build on that."

The new homes will help to address the shortage of family accommodation within the borough by creating an estimated further eighteen new homes providing over eighty bedrooms.