Work finally starts on 130 homes in Derker 15 years after houses demolished and community ‘destroyed’
Work has begun on 132 new homes in Derker, Oldham, 15 years after the demolition of Victorian terraced houses as part of a controversial housing renewal scheme. The new development includes a mix of private and affordable housing, with some being carbon-neutral. Residents have mixed feelings about the project, with some hopeful for positive change and others lamenting the loss of the original homes.
Derker’s Long-Awaited Revival Begins After 15 Years of Rubble
Construction has finally commenced on 132 new homes across four brownfield sites in Derker, ending a 15-year wait that began when Victorian terraced houses were demolished under a controversial housing renewal scheme.
The development by Hive Homes will transform the vacant plots at Cromford Street, London Road, Evelyn Street and Abbotsford Road, where weeds grew unchecked for over a decade after the coalition government abandoned the renewal scheme in 2011.
Narinda Kaur, who has run Singh’s Supersave shop overlooking London Road for 32 years, witnessed the destruction firsthand. “It was like a bereavement,” she said. “Everybody felt it. Nobody could believe it.” Kaur believes the new housing will revitalise a neighbourhood left hopeless by continuous delays and cancellations.
The development will deliver a mix of two and three-bedroom detached, semi-detached and mews properties, including 44 affordable homes through affordable rental and shared ownership schemes. The first 46 homes will rise on Abbotsford Road, with 69 more on Cromford Street and London Road, and 17 on Evelyn Street, with completion expected by December 2025.
While Sharon, 38, who lives near Abbotsford Road, welcomes the change—“It can only be a good thing to put roofs over people’s heads”—not all residents share her enthusiasm. Stacey, 41, whose property overlooks Abbotsford Road, lamented the loss of the original Victorian council homes. “They should have just done up the houses that were there. They were Victorian council homes, built to last,” she said. “I’ll miss my view, too.”
The affordable homes will achieve carbon neutrality through solar panels and heat recycling systems, while private properties will maintain low-carbon standards. Council leader Arooj Shah declared the scheme would “breathe new life” into Derker, though Coun Elaine Taylor acknowledged securing development had been “an uphill struggle” after government funding incentives were withdrawn.
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