Wates starts work on new council housing in Oldham

Wates Living Space has started work on a new council housing scheme in Oldham.

It is building 317 new houses and refurbishing a further 322 as part of the £113m 'Gateways to Oldham' project.

The project is being delivered by Inspiral Oldham, a consortium of Wates, regeneration specialist Regenter and social landlord Great Places Housing Group which agreed a 25-year private finance initiative deal with Oldham Council in November.

Housing on the Crossley and Primrose Bank estates will be improved while new homes will be built on brownfield sites at Westwood and Fitton Hill.

There are also plans for two new community centres, a retail unit, improved parking, footpaths and street lighting.

Steve Jackson, regional managing director at Wates Living Space, said: "This marks the start of a significant transformation in Oldham's housing provision and we are delighted to get be part of that.

"We have an excellent site team in place that have already been busy making links with the local community to ensure we utilise our presence in the borough to create local employment and training opportunities. We're eager to get cracking – now is the time for the hard work of building to begin."

Wates Living Space, which has a base in Sharston, south Manchester, replaced Rok in the consortium last year after it went into administration.