MP tours new £5.3 million housing scheme in Heywood

Sunday, 1 February 2026 19:58

By David Murphy

Elsie Blundell praises FCHO's 40-home development on former car wash site

A new £5.3 million affordable housing development in Heywood has been welcomed by local MP Elsie Blundell, who praised the project as a step forward in tackling the housing crisis.

Mrs Blundell visited the Rochdale Road East scheme on Thursday to meet with representatives from First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) and tour the newly finished apartments, built on the site of a former car wash.

The project, located in the Heywood and Middleton North constituency, includes 40 energy efficient homes, 16 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom flats – all available at affordable rent and allocated via Rochdale Borough Council’s housing register.

“I’m really pleased with what First Choice Homes Oldham is doing in my constituency,” Mrs Blundell said. “It’s the number one issue that constituents raise with me. The apartments look brilliant inside and out, and I’m excited that my constituents will benefit from them.”

She also praised FCHO’s focus on building in locations that connect residents with job opportunities and schools.

The apartments are designed with sustainability in mind. All are off the gas grid, have at least an EPC B rating, and share a communal garden. An undercroft car park provides 43 fob-access car parking spaces for tenants.

Andy Ewart, FCHO’s deputy chief executive and executive director of corporate services, said: “It’s important our elected representatives see the quality of homes we’re building. These 40 homes are high quality, affordable, and energy efficient, and they show how we’re working to address the housing crisis in the Rochdale borough.”

He also briefed the MP on FCHO’s plans to build 27 more homes at Bury Old Road in Heywood, as part of a wider strategy to deliver 600 new homes across Oldham and Rochdale following a recent £110 million refinancing deal.

Construction on the Rochdale Road East site was carried out by Challenger Building Services.