Sheltered housing joy

Five more old people’s sheltered schemes should be completely renovated this year as the Housing 21 contract rolls on across Oldham.

Wood Square, Greenfield, should be finished next month followed by Hopwood Court, Crompton; Aster House, Oldham; Charles Morris House, Failsworth; and Old Mill House, Springhead.

Oldham’s scheme is the country’s biggest ever sheltered housing private finance initiative for older people worth more than £400 million over the next 30 years.

The contract means around 1,500 sheltered homes are undergoing major building and refurbishment work, around half of the borough’s sheltered homes, undertaken by Bullock Construction Ltd. Councillors will be given an update at a Select Committee meeting tomorrow.

Kath Miller, operations manager for Housing 21, will tell them where areas in need of more focus are, information about the works’ timetable and detail of works, and information given during the period in the temporary property.

Three bungalows areas are due to be started next month — Grayson Way, Greenfield; Royton, and Shaw.

Work will start at Alt in November, and Lees and Saddleworth bungalows, plus a further Hathershaw scheme, begins next year.

Three more sheltered housing schemes - Throstle Court, Royton; Chew Vale, Greenfield; and Mill Gate, Hollinwood - are still in the pipeline, and next year the remaining five schemes will be started in St Herbert’s Court, Chadderton; Hood Square and Spring Lees Court, Springhead; Violet Hill Court, Waterhead; and Dunsford Court, Shaw.