Unanimous approval for 132 Oldham homes

Hive Homes is all set to redevelop four brownfield sites in Derker, bringing forward a mixture of mews, semi-detached, and detached residences.

Oldham Council unanimously voted last week to approve the application from the housing provider joint venture, which will see 40 two-bed and 92 three-bed homes be built on plots off Abbotsford Road, Cromford Street, Evelyn Street, and London Road.

The project is a prime example of Hive Homes’s mission to unlock sites to bring forward new homes. Hive is made up of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and 10 housing: Great Places, Salix, Onward, Irwell Valley, Mosscare St Vincent’s, Bolton at Home, One Manchester, Southway, and Wythenshawe and L&Q.

Abbotsford Road is the largest of the four sites, coming in at three acres. There will be 47 homes, most of which will be three-bed, semi-detached houses.

The remaining three plots are all around 1.5 acres in size. Cromford Street and London Road will have 28 homes built on them, while the Evelyn Street site will have 29 homes.

All of the houses are set to be carbon neutral, according to a council report. Of the 132, 43 will be affordable. These include 23 affordable rent homes and 20 shared ownership ones.

The approval from Oldham marks a return to use for the brownfield sites, with three of the four having previously been housing. The fourth, Cromford Street, was previously Cromford Mill.

MCK Associates designed the plans for Hive Homes, while Hive Land and Planning handled the planning matters. The project team also includes Urban Green, Eddisons, and Edge Consulting Engineers.

You can learn more about the project by searching application reference number FUL/350118/22 on Oldham Council’s planning portal.

The temporary event space would look like a yellow dome. Credit: via planning documents

During the same planning meeting that saw Hive Homes secure a green light, Oldham Coliseum Theatre also received unanimous approval for its temporary spherical event space on the car park of the Oldham Civic Centre. You can learn more about the dome structure by searching application reference number FUL/352513/24.