Eye-catching homes scoop another award

OLDHAM’S St Mary’s housing development has scooped another prestigious award.

The Oldham Council-backed project to regenerate St Mary’s was recognised as the best social and affordable homes project at the Building Excellence Awards, held at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium.

The accolade, which highlights good practice in the construction industry, is the latest award the estate has won.

In October, the transformation of the site from derelict land to state-of-the art family homes won the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) North West Planning Achievement award for 2013 — a change in fortunes for a site that had been empty for more than a decade following the demolition of flats.

Previously, St Mary’s had also been named as one of the top 50 affordable housing developments in the country by the influential Inside Housing magazine.