Work begins to provide 365 new homes on former schools’ site
A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a 365-home Oldham development.
Countryside Partnerships is behind the Fitton Hill ‘Hartshead View’ scheme which will transform brownfield land formerly occupied by Fitton Hill County Infant, Fitton Hill Secondary Modern, and Marland Fold Schools, as well as a now-demolished housing estate.
Countryside was joined by representatives from Great Places, Sigma, and Oldham Council at the site.
Working in partnership with Great Places Housing Group and Sigma Capital, Countryside will deliver 97 build-to-rent homes under Sigma’s private rental brand, Simple Life, and 81 affordable houses to be managed by Great Places.
The leader of Oldham Council, Cllr Arooj Shah, and the council’s cabinet member for housing, Cllr Elaine Taylor, were taken on a tour of the site where they were able to learn more about the £83m development set to transform this part of Greater Manchester.
Joe Turner, managing director, Manchester and Cheshire East, Countryside Partnerships, said: “Through collaboration with partners such as Great Places and Sigma our development portfolio remains diverse, delivering the homes that people need in the areas that need them most.”
Matthew Harrison, Great Places chief executive, said: “This project demonstrates our commitment to creating great places to live across Greater Manchester, and we look forward to seeing the progress of the development and welcoming the first residents in 2024.”
Jason Berry, regional managing director at Sigma Capital, said: “Some of our very early build to rent Simple Life developments with Countryside are located in Oldham and we have always experienced high demand amongst the local community for professionally managed, high quality rental homes. With community and people at the heart of our brand, we’re excited to be in a position to deliver more much needed family homes in this area.”
Cllr Arooj Shah, said: “Working with our partners, we’ve been able to design a development that will promote a real sense of community, bringing together residents from different walks of life.”
