20 new homes in Littleborough ready in time for Christmas

Great news! We have completed 20 new homes in Littleborough, Rochdale in time for Christmas.

Four one-bedroom apartments, eight two-bedroom houses and eight three-bedroom houses at the Phoenix Ironworks development on Howarth St have been built by our development partner, Rochdale-based, Casey.

The properties - which are all for affordable rent - will be let to people on Rochdale Council's housing register and managed by us, with the first tenants expected to move in before the end of this month.

The £3.3m development is part of our strategy to deliver 750 quality affordable homes in Rochdale, Oldham and surrounding areas by 2026 to help meet increasing demand across the region. We have received £760k grant funding from Homes England for the scheme.

Karis Matthews is among the customers to pick up the keys to a new home at the scheme and is looking forward to celebrating Christmas there:

“I’ve been waiting a while to be housed and when I found out I’d got this home I was so happy. The place is great and it’s in a lovely location for a family - really peaceful. It’s a godsend.”

Joel Owen, FCHO's Director of Development said: "This joint venture with Casey has once again enabled us to deliver quality new homes and make a positive difference in the community.

"Having started on site in September 2020, the project team overcame significant challenges posed by Covid-19 to safely transform a brownfield site into this new development that will help meet local housing need and I'm pleased it's ready for customers in time for Christmas."

Alan Taylor, Casey’s Operations Director said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed working in partnership with First Choice Homes Oldham on the Phoenix Ironworks scheme. As properties begin handing over to residents, it’s always a joy to see how delighted they are with their new home. We overcame challenges around Covid by working closely with FCHO to deliver the scheme safely and provide much needed new homes to the local area.”

Councillor Danny Meredith, Cabinet member for housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It’s great to see a brownfield site being transformed into much needed affordable housing for Rochdale borough residents. These homes are a fantastic addition to the area and it will be lovely to see our residents make a home here just in time for Christmas.”

Whiteley Eaves was the Employer’s Agent and Principal Designer on the Phoenix Ironworks scheme.

The project is our latest housing development completed in the Rochdale borough. We have delivered 21 family homes for affordable rent in the past 18 months, including three and four bedroom houses at Clough Rd in Middleton and four-bedroom homes at Spotland Rd, Rochdale.

Take a tour of a new two bedroom home in our video...