Vistry, the UK’s leading specialist mixed-tenure housebuilder, has secured planning consent from Oldham Council for 147 new affordable homes on the site of the former Oldham Mumps Railway Station.
The Southlink development will transform 3.92 hectares of brownfield land into a new community delivered in partnership with First Choice Homes Oldham.
Currently owned by Oldham Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, the site will be acquired by Vistry. It was cleared after the former Oldham Mumps Railway Station was decommissioned in 2009.
All 147 homes will be affordable, comprising 125 homes for social rent, 11 for buy to rent and 11 for shared ownership. The scheme will provide 97 apartments and 50 family houses, with a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, including apartments, mews and terraced properties, semi-detached homes and detached houses.
Three apartment buildings of three to four storeys will front Oldham Way. The homes will use a red multi-brick palette with grey roof tiles, reflecting Oldham’s character and complementing the nearby Princes Gate development.
The consent is subject to planning conditions and legal obligations securing the full affordable housing scheme, biodiversity mitigation and enhancement measures, a 30-year Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan, and £743,607 towards education provision, public open space enhancement and off-site tree planting.
The landscape strategy will retain existing trees where appropriate and add approximately 152 new trees, native hedgerows, mixed scrub, species-rich grassland and wildflower meadows. An avenue of lime trees will also be planted along Oldham Way.
The site is within walking distance of Oldham town centre and close to Oldham Mumps Metrolink Interchange.
New shared walking and cycling routes will connect Glodwick with the interchange, Southlink Business Park and the town centre, while the internal road layout has been designed to prevent through traffic into the Southlink Business Park.
Public open space will include informal recreation areas, natural play features, seating and new green links.
Matthew Parkes, Managing Director at Vistry Manchester & Cheshire East, said:
“This consent is an important step towards bringing a prominent brownfield site back into productive use and delivering 147 high-quality affordable homes for Oldham. Working with First Choice Homes Oldham, we will provide a broad mix of homes and tenures to meet local needs, in a highly accessible location close to the town centre and Metrolink.”
Mark Gifford, chief executive at First Choice Homes Oldham said:
“The planning greenlight for Southlink is brilliant news. The building of 147 much-needed homes right in the heart of Oldham on a derelict brownfield site has taken a huge step forward.
“This new community and its open spaces is an important regeneration project too. It will make a big difference to the town centre. I know the ambition is for it to act as a catalyst for more future developments.
“FCHO is committed to building the homes people need, in the locations they want to live. Our partnership at Southlink with Vistry Group is going to deliver on those pledges and we are excited to be part of it.
“We have also listened to what type of homes are needed and increased the number of family properties in the development to address that pressing issue here in Oldham. “Next steps over the next few weeks will happen at pace as we look to transfer land ownership and sign remaining contracts. The ambition is to have spades in the ground in November.”
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