New Bungalows take shape in Heywood

New bungalows at Heady Hill in Heywood.

A new bungalow scheme has been launched in Heywood, with four brand new homes already completed.

The Heady Hill scheme has seen the new development built by the Building Trades Agency in partnership with New Heart for Heywood and the Heywood Housing Partnership.

A spokesperson for New Heart for Heywood said: "The bungalows are being built on land owned by New Heart for Heywood and are the first in what is hoped to be a continuing scheme to use derelict land to build affordable homes. The design and build of the houses is also quite innovative with a new polystyrene brick formation being used with concrete fillings.

"The houses, which are eco friendly and designed to keep in warmth, are located at the bottom of Heady Hill Road and are built on land held in trust by the NDC which means NDC will hold the land share of the property as the affordable element, to ensure that all future sales of the properties will be at 75% of the then market value."

Launching the scheme, Councillor Doreen Brophy-Lee, Rochdale Council’s portfolio holder for Housing, said: “The council backs many innovative new projects to improve the lives of local people but this one certainly packs in new ideas by the spadeful.

"This project shows how local people and services working together can find new solutions for today’s problems."

The launch was also attended by Susan Coates, Chairman of the New Heart for Heywood Partnership, who said: “This is partnership working at its best. It is great to see all these agencies coming together to create these new homes and the Building Trades Agency will be able to take part in further new build schemes and help to train local people in how to build these properties which means local people learning new skills which is what the Heywood NDC agenda is all about.”

The bungalows, which are due for completion in the new year, are part of a wider scheme to use this innovative design build around the borough.

The developers, the Building Trades Agency, are a community investment company who will put profits back into Heywood by training local people.

Head of Strategic Housing Services, Paul Beardmore praised the agency: “I have worked with many of the lads who make up the agency and I know how nervous we all were when the company started," he said. "It is a big step to go it alone and this proved what potential the BTA has and I am so proud of the lads who have taken this step and I hope that these bungalows are just a small part of what they can achieve in the future and I wish them the best of luck.”