Council gives approval to 200 homes for rent

NEARLY 200 new homes are to be built across three sites in Rochdale.

Countryside Properties has been given the go-ahead for 54 houses off Entwisle Road and 38 properties on a plot near Durham Street, both of which are close to the town centre.

The firm has also been given permission for 54 houses and two blocks of 24 apartments at a site off Roch Street in Smallbridge.

Building on all three sites expected to start in the new year.

Another 70 homes could be built near Norwich Mill if council chiefs approve plans under delegated powers.

The majority of the houses would have two or three bedrooms. A handful on Roch Street will have is four. The apartments will be a mix of one and two-bedroom properties.

All the homes will be available for rent and will be managed by landlord Sigma, which oversees five other estates in Rochdale.

Jake Crompton, senior planning officer at Countryside Properties, said the homes would be ‘high quality’ and would be marketed at working families and professionals.

He told the council’s planning and licensing committee: “Our schemes prove attractive to local people looking to save for a deposit to buy a house in the future or are happy with the lifestyle and flexibility renting offers.” The town hall’s planning committee voted unanimously to pass the three applications. Coun Irene Davidson said of the Roch Street proposal: “This needs building on – and building on tomorrow.” The developments will deliver more than half of homes the council is required to build next year. Some concerns were raised. Coun John Taylor said he welcomed development on brownfield sites, but questioned why the homes would only be available for rent - and why there would be no ‘affordable’ properties. Coun Sultan Ali Mr Crompton said Sigma-run schemes across Rochdale were fully occupied and that the firm’s research indicated there was high demand for rental properties.

Coun Irene Davidson, said she had ‘a lot of respect for Countryside Properties’ but added: “We’ve got three sites before us today and they all look like little chocolate boxes, they don’t go with the areas, they stand out like sore thumbs.”

Coun Sultan Ali told the meeting there was a high demand for four and five-bedroom homes for larger families in the area – and called on the developer to ‘rethink and reconfigure’ their plans.

He said: “They may be planning for the future but in my lifetime I see a need for four and five-bedroom homes.

“I’m not too bothered about the design. I just want a roof over my constituents.”