Building for a brighter future

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS: Councillor John McCann (right) gets to grips with a drainpipe, helped by, from left, Tracey Lowe, sales manager McInerney Homes, Hugh Broadbent, First Choice Homes Oldham chief executive, Philip Stott, FCHO board member, Mike Dyer, contracts manager McInerney Homes, and Harry Burns, chairman of FCHO.

A HOLLINWOOD housing boost is set to begin after homebuilders moved on site to officially start an innovative development of affordable homes.

First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), with Oldham Council’s assistance, has contracted with house builder McInerney Homes to complete the Byron Street development.

A total of 32 new family homes will be built and let at affordable rents.

The homes will be completed over the next 12 months and will be the first new homes to be owned as well as managed by FCHO.

The scheme came about as way of kick-starting the previously stalled development of homes by McInerney.

Half of the planned development had been completed when the credit crunch hit and forced the building works to stop.

FCHO had earlier extensively refurbished more than 60 homes adjoining McInerney’s site, and wanted to get the scheme finished on behalf of all residents so that the neighbourhood could finally see the completed regeneration of this part of Hollinwood.

With a grant of £2.1m from the Homes and Communities Agency and prudential borrowing support from Oldham Council, the homes will be built to high standards of energy efficiency and will all have solar panels.

Councillor John McCann, cabinet member for Community Services and Housing said: “It is absolutely fantastic news to see this scheme finally getting off the ground.

“This is an excellent example of partnership working.”

Harry Burns, chair of FCHO, said: “This is a fabulous first for FCHO, and we hope it will be the first of many new homes built by FCHO.

“Demand for these new homes is sure to be high.”

David Holland, Partner-ship Director for McIner-ney Homes, said: “The development will make a major contribution to the future sustainability of this community and has been designed specifically to meet local needs.”