132 new "future-proof" homes will be built in Derker, Oldham

Plans for hundreds of new energy efficient houses, including some affordable homes, have been approved in Derker, in Oldham, in a disused part of the town.

The 132 new houses will include 43 affordable homes and will "set a standard" for good housing in the district, according to developers Hive Homes.

The semi-detached and terraced homes will be constructed on derelict land on Abbotsford Road, Evelyn Street, London Road and Cromford Street. The streets were previously home to Cromford Mill and terraced houses that were vacated and demolished more than a decade ago. 

Royton councillor Steven Bashforth said: “We’ve been waiting for these derelict areas to be developed for years but I think this is probably the best we could ever get. It’s an absolutely belting scheme, this.” 

The plans include 40 two-bed and 92 three-bedroom family homes, each with one or two dedicated parking spaces. Each home would also have a tree and shrubbery planted on the grounds and most of the houses are designed to maximise green space. 

The applicant Graham Dickman told the planning committee he hoped the build would be "exemplary", providing much-needed "quality housing" for the borough. 

The homes will also be almost entirely carbon-neutral with no connection to gas, and with electricity sourced from solar panels. Dickmann explained the homes would work on an "ambient system" that "recycles" heat around the home all day, slashing energy costs. 

Dickmann said: “Running costs will be far, far lower. There’ll be no gas bills, and you’ll have minimal electricity bills.” 

The developer suggested the technology used in the homes would mean they are "future-proofed for 20-30 years at least". 

The site is right next to the Derker Park and Ride tramlink, with good connections to the town centre and Manchester. It’s also close to a number of different primary schools such as Mayfield and Willowpark, and to Springfield House Medical centre.

The plans were unanimously agreed by councillors, with zero objections from surrounding residents. St James councillor Angela Cosgrove raised a concern about crime in the area, following a number of recent incidents in the ginnels in Derker. 

Planning officers noted that this was not the developers’ responsibility but that once the highways around the homes had been adopted through the development, measures like street lighting could be looked into by the council’s highways team. 

The approved plans come as Oldham council are looking at ways to ramp up housing supply in the area, after the council announced a housing crisis at the end of last year. More than 7,500 families are currently on Oldham’s social housing register and a further 11,000 applications are still being processed.

Councillors have been speaking to housing associations, developers and charities to develop a strategy to bring 500 new "truly affordable" homes to the borough. But the council has also acknowledged that the quality of housing in the area in general is also a huge issue – with many homes, whether private or publicly owned, in poor or uninhabitable conditions.