First affordable homes handed over in Middleton as £7.1m housing scheme begins delivery

Monday, 7 July 2025 11:16

By David Murphy

The first of 29 affordable new homes in Middleton has been handed over to First Choice Homes Oldham this week, as part of a £7.1 million brownfield redevelopment project.

The first new residents will soon be moving into Alkrington Moss Close, a newly named street in Middleton where the first properties in a £7.1 million affordable housing development have been handed over.

Two two-bedroom bungalows and a pair of two-bedroom houses were officially transferred this week to First Choice Homes Oldham, the housing association delivering the homes on behalf of Rochdale Council. The brownfield redevelopment, built on the former Alkrington Moss Primary School site, is being developed by Brookhouse Group.

The wider scheme will deliver 29 homes by December 2025. These include three more two-bedroom houses and 24 three-bedroom family homes. Twenty-one of the properties will be let at affordable rent levels, capped at no more than 80% of market rate, while eight are part of a shared ownership scheme aimed at supporting first-time buyers.

Steve Agger, executive director of homes at FCHO, said: “We’re very pleased to see the first of these new properties joining our housing stock and providing much-needed affordable homes for people in Middleton. There will now be a phased delivery of the other properties until December, allowing many of the new occupants to be in their new homes by Christmas.”

Councillor Dylan Williams, ward councillor for East Middleton, welcomed the news and clarified key points about the scheme. “These homes in Alkrington will be managed by First Choice Homes Oldham, which has expanded into Middleton. However, I want to make clear that they will be allocated to people on Rochdale Council’s housing waiting list,” he said.

“There are multiple Alkrington and Middleton families sofa surfing or in temporary homeless accommodation waiting for these homes. I’m proud that in East Middleton, all of our new developments since I became a councillor have been social housing built on brownfield land.”

Cllr Williams also confirmed the street name was changed last year: “I was given the opportunity to name the street as a ward councillor. I suggested ‘Alkrington Moss Close’, to reflect the legacy of the former primary school, which merged with Alkrington Primary around two decades ago.”

The project is part-funded by a £1.2 million grant from Homes England and includes sustainability features across all properties. These include electric vehicle charging points, solar panels, A-rated Energy Performance Certificates, high insulation standards, and energy-efficient heating systems, all designed to lower running costs and help meet carbon reduction targets.

Cllr Williams added that developer contributions under the Section 106 agreement have been ringfenced for local improvements: “The developers will pay a contribution 12 months after the site is fully occupied, and I’ve made sure that this will go towards improvements at Downs Play Park and formal sports facilities in Alkrington.”

“This is welcome news for our area,” he said.