Dozens of ‘high quality family homes’ could be built on estate

Dozens of new ‘high quality family homes’ could be built on Middleton’s Langley estate if plans are given the go-ahead.

Hive Homes – a ‘joint venture’ between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and 10 of the region’s housing providers – has submitted proposals for 49 new properties off Stainton Drive.

The application sets out plans for a mix of two, three and four bedroom houses on the vacant three-acre site, which has previously been approved for residential use.

Of these the vast majority – some 44 properties – will have three bedrooms, while just one will have four bedrooms.

A design and access statement submitted with the application makes the case for giving the plans the green light.

It reads: “The proposed development would deliver a range of high quality, high specification homes for the local community in a sustainable location.”

It adds that the proposed scheme would ‘maintain the character of the local area’ and has been designed to reflect Middleton’s overall appearance.

The estate would feature two-storey red brick homes, described as being ‘designed with the ethos of a modern version of traditional suburban architecture’.

Surrounding streets, such as Windermere Road and Newton Crescent, are said to have influenced the ‘house types, landscaping and style’ of the proposed site.

All the new homes would be for sale at market prices – no ‘affordable housing’ is included in the scheme.

Back in June, Rochdale Council agreed to buy the plot from social housing provider The Riverside Group with a view to its ‘onward disposal’ to Hive Homes via a freehold agreement.

This was to boost the number of houses available in the borough, while allowing the profit from the sale of the homes to be reinvested in improvements to the Langley estate.

Cash generated by Hive Homes is also used to provide affordable housing across Greater Manchester.

A decision on whether to grant planning permission for the scheme will  be made by Rochdale Council.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service