First phase of 1,000-home Rochdale scheme progresses

Rochdale Council has given the green light to Russell Homes and Bellway Homes to begin building 217 properties at West Hopwood, part of the next stage of the South Heywood masterplan.

The 316-acre masterplan for South Heywood, which includes 1,000 homes and 1.5m sq ft of workspace, was given outline planning permission in March 2020.

The outline consent was given alongside full consent for a 2.2km link road from Junction 19 of the M62 to the logistics parks off Pilsworth Road.

Work is underway on the road, with completion expected in November.

The developers will build a total of 217 properties across two sites, with Russell Homes’ The Oaks at Hopwood to the north, and Bellway’s Hopwood Meadows at the south of the South Heywood regeneration site.

At the Oaks, a five-acre plot off Hareshill Road will include 61 detached and semi-detached three-, four- and five-bedroom homes.

Bellway’s Hopwood Meadows is an 11.6-acre site, which will have 156 homes. There will be a combination of three-, four- and five-bedroom properties.

Work will start this summer, with sales expected later in the year and completion aimed for early 2023.

Russell Homes’ planning director, Gary Lynch, described this approval as “crucial”. “[This] first development, The Oaks, will provide large, contemporary family homes as desired by the council’s housing strategy. Further plots will be brought forward over the next decade,” he said.

“This is the culmination of many years’ planning, design and consultation, and extensive collaborative working with key stakeholders to achieve the highest standards in placemaking. With the new link road expected to be complete later this year, and plans for the business park, local centre and sports hub advancing, good progress is being made in bringing this sustainable urban extension to fruition.”

Grace Yarlett, senior sales manager at Bellway Homes, is confident of Hopwood being popular with homeowners.

“Bordering open countryside yet with fantastic links to the motorway network, Hopwood Meadows is in a great location to enjoy a lifestyle with a semi-rural feel that is still well connected to traditional suburban transport links. [There will be] the added benefit of huge investment in the area resulting in great new community facilities and open green spaces.”

Russell Homes and Bellway Homes’ in-house planning teams led on the submission of the planning application.

MSPL Planning & Design was the architect, Mulberry Tree Management was the arboriculture surveyor, and TPM Landscape produced a landscape management plan for Russell Homes. Element Sustainability advised on sustainability and energy.