Oldham’s Housing Delivery Action Plan: Part Two

July 2024	
Contents
1	Introduction
2	Summary of root cause analysis, housing delivery and supply issues
3	Housing Delivery Action Plan
4	Key Housing Sites
5	Implementation and Monitoring
6	Appendix

1	Introduction
Purpose of the Report
1.1	Part 1 of the Action Plan sets out the context and evidence of housing delivery and supply within Oldham. 
1.2	Part 2 sets out the individual actions identified by the council to improve delivery and ensure that we provide a diverse housing offer that is attractive and meets the needs of different sections of the population at different stages of their lives. 
1.3	An Action Plan is intended to be a practical document, focused on effective measures aimed at improving delivery underpinned by local evidence and research of key issues. It is a live document, reviewed and updated as appropriate.
1.4	This is Oldham Council’s fourth Action Plan, produced in response to the Housing Delivery Test 2022 results published in December 2023.  

2	Summary of root cause analysis, housing delivery and supply issues 
Key Issues 
2.1	Analysis of housing delivery and the make-up of the housing land supply, set out within part one of this Action Plan, identifies a number of issues, which together may impact housing delivery within the borough. In summary, these are:
•	Oldham’s housing requirement, as set out in PfE, needs to be met each year. The housing requirement is stepped over three periods and will increase significantly from 2025 onwards. It is important that housing delivery is able to be maintained in line with the housing requirement.
•	There is a need to deliver affordable housing to meet local housing needs, including social homes. The council, and its partners, have committed to delivering 500 social homes over the next five years.
•	There is a need to continue to ensure that brownfield sites come forward for development - 75% of the housing land supply is on brownfield or mixed land, with a significant proportion (79% of the supply) on sites of between 50 to 199 dwellings and 200+ dwellings, offering opportunities to broaden the breadth of development opportunities across the borough.
•	Scale of development coming forward – minor sites (of less than 10 dwellings) make up 84% of sites granted planning permission in the last ten years. Whilst the number of major sites coming forward is more limited, they continue to form a significant proportion of the supply, accounting for 75% of dwellings granted planning permission over the last ten years. 
•	'Major’ sites in Oldham are still relatively small with the majority of sites within the housing land supply (101 sites out of a total 163 major sites) having a capacity of under 50 dwellings, and the average site size of major sites is for 76 dwellings. However, the most recent update of the housing land supply (as at 1 April 2023) has identified additional 'large-scale major' sites (over 200 dwellings).
o	Number of major sites of 10 to 49 dwellings – 101
o	Number of major sites of 50 to 199 dwellings – 47
o	Number of large-scale major sites of 200+ dwellings – 15
•	We need to continue to increase the number of major sites coming forward and support them in delivery where appropriate, in particular those with a capacity of 100 to 200+ dwellings as the analysis indicates that these are more attractive for housebuilders and appear to be developed faster.
•	Build-out rates - larger schemes are being commenced faster than smaller ones. Yet, as outlined above the number of major sites coming forward is relatively limited at present. However, the number of large-scale sites is expected to increase in line with the identified future housing land supply, including large-scale sites within Oldham Town Centre and the PfE Strategic Allocations expected to come forward over the next 5-15 years.
•	Delivery of minor sites - evidence indicates that for minor sites where they are for individual houses there may not be the impetus or the ability to deliver the dwelling quickly, owing to constraints such as cost or availability of construction materials and labour.
•	Over-reliance on sites outside the planning system – with 76% of the housing land supply (as at 1 April 2023) made up of potential housing sites that do not currently have any planning permission (although some may have been considered for housing through the planning system such as those with lapsed permissions and identified allocations).
•	Issues around the implementation of planning permissions which may, for example, be due to viability and deliverability.
•	Availability of grant support to help bring sites forward, such as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Brownfield Land Fund and One Public Estate Brownfield Funding, are geared towards larger sites.  

3	Housing Delivery Action Plan 
3.1	Oldham Council and its partners have had many successes in recent years that have helped improve housing in Oldham, as identified in the Council’s Housing Strategy. However, there is a need to ensure that we continue to provide housing to meet local housing needs. 
3.2	As is set out in part 1 of this Action Plan, Oldham Council has recently (February 2024) declared a local housing crisis. The demand for truly affordable housing, such as social homes, is outstripping supply. As part of the council’s response to the crisis, the council and its partners have committed to delivering 500 social homes over the next five-years. In addition, our response to the housing crisis includes a series of other priorities such as, bringing empty homes back into use and working with developers and partners to deliver various types of housing across the borough.
3.3	The council intends to refresh the Housing Strategy in the near future to respond to the housing crisis and to embed the findings of the LHNA update. This will inform future Housing Delivery Action Plans as appropriate.
3.4	Reflecting on the housing crisis and the housing delivery analysis identified in part 1 – Housing Delivery Context, Evidence and Root Cause Analysis, several actions have been identified aimed at increasing delivery across the borough. For each action, tasks and expected outcomes are identified and progress is noted at each Housing Delivery Test Action Plan update, against each task. 
3.5	The identified actions, taks and progress updates containted within this Action Plan, are summarised below and set out in full within Appendix 1. 
3.6	The actions are structured around the following themes:
•	Improving capacity and processes.
•	Increasing the delivery of sites within our housing land supply, in particular on brownfield land.
•	Delivery of the council’s ambition to improve and increase the housing offer within Oldham.
Improving capacity and processes
3.7	Actions within this theme focus on improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision making processes in relation to planning applications. Ensuring that there is an efficient planning application process can support the delivery of housing by making the planning application process more transparent, collaborative, quicker and as a result more attractive for applicants (including housebuilders and developers who can often choose where they develop housing schemes).
3.8	The following actions have been identified under this theme:
•	Continue and improve member training, as appropriate;
•	Improve officer and member knowledge and understanding of viability;
•	Review and improve residential planning application processes; and
•	Improve engagement with developers/ housing providers;
3.9	Continuous member training is important in ensuring efficient and accurate decision making in terms of planning applications. This action includes several tasks including providing annual training to Planning Committee members, provide updates regarding changes to legislation and policy, reviewing the Scheme of Delegation for planning applications and member call-ins. In terms of progress on this action, member training is carried out annually and members are regularly updated of legislative and polict changes. Also, the Planning Scheme of Delegation was revised in 2020.
3.10	Improving officer and member knowledge and understanding of viability is important in ensuring the implications of viability on planning matters are appropriately considered as part of decision making. Viability constraints may impact the delivery of policy requirements, such as open space or affordable housing. As such, it is important that instances where a negated/ reduced policy requirement may be acceptable owing to viability policy, as is set out in NPPF, is understood and applications are decided in line with planning policy. In terms of progress, planning officer training was carried out in April 2020. Viability is covered in annual Planning Committee member training.
3.11	Several tasks have been identified which could deliver the action of improving the residential planning application process:
•	Introduce a pre-application advice service that incorporates a ‘one team’ approach to ensure more effective communication and consistent messaging regarding planning priorities and requirements – this task is complete – a pre-application service has been in place since 2018.
•	Improve the efficient execution of S106 agreements (reducing the time taken to secure agreements and improving the monitoring of those that are in place) – this task is ongoing – the Infrastructure Funding Statement is incorporated into the authorities Monitoring Report providing information on S106 agreements secured and monies spent.
•	Review planning obligations and priorities to provide clarity regarding planning requirements – this task will be actioned as part of the Local Plan Review which will consider planning obligations, including potentially identifying priorities.
•	Introduce the use of Planning Performance Agreements (PPA’s) for larger-scale developments and more complex housing sites – this task is complete - PPA's were introduced as part of the pre-application service.
3.12	Improving engagement with developers and housing providers is important in ensuring these key stakeholders have a wider understanding of issues regarding local housing needs and delivery. To do this, the task of contining the dialogue with developers and registered providers through the Strategic Housing Group and holding six-monthly developer forums (as appropriate) has been identified. This task is ongoing - the Strategic Housing Group meets around every 3 months. 
3.13	Also, recently the Housing Roundtable held by the council brought together key stakeholders to discuss housing issues within the borough and identify actions to address Oldhan’s housing crisis collaboratively. This is detailed further under the ‘Increasing delivery of sites within the housing land supply’ theme below.
Increasing the delivery of sites within the housing land supply
3.14	Actions within this theme focus on increasing the supply and delivery of sites within the housing land supply, particularly on brownfileld land. Ensuring there is a sufficient and attractive supply of sites is important in enabling opportunities for housing delivery. In addition, it is important that these sites come forward and deliver high-quality housing in a timely manner. Actions identified within this theme include:
•	Identify deliverable and viable housing sites across the borough and support their delivery, with a focus on brownfield land;
•	Identifying opportunities for the re-use of vacant buildings to deliver new homes;
•	Support small site development; and
•	Support the delivery of social homes, including delivering 500 new social homes over the next five years.
3.15	In terms of identifying and supporting the delivery of viable housing sites, several tasks have been identified:
•	Review the housing land supply and support the delivery of key housing sites through the Housing Delivery Pipeline – this task is ongoing – the housing land supply is updated annually. Key housing sites have been identified as part of the council’s Housing Delivery Pipeline. Section 4 and appendix 2 of this Action Plan sets out the key housing sites.
•	Prepare planning/ development briefs for key housing sites, where appropriate, providing clear direction regarding policy framework, requirements and expectations (including obligations and standards) – this task is ongoing - the council has prepared several development briefs for key housing sites in council ownership, including Southlink, Former South Chadderton and  Kaskenmoor school sites and land at Higher Lime.
•	Identify suitable opportunities for the delivery of larger scale ‘major’ sites within the urban area, capable of providing 100/200+ dwellings through future SHLAA reviews and identify mechanisms to facilitate their delivery – this task is ongoing - the number of 100/200+ dwelling sites in the housing land supply has increased. Several large sites are identified within Oldham Town Centre, as part of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework, which will facilitate their delivery. Key sites in the housing land supply have been identified as potential allocations in the Draft Local Plan. Several large-scale sites are also identified as Places for Everyone Allocations. 
•	Review and improve the Brownfield Register to facilitate delivery of brownfield land – the Brownfield Register is reviewed and amended annually as per updated regulations (latest published December 2023).
•	Review and improve constraints information available to facilitate delivery of brownfield land, such as the use of the Brownfield Site Risk Calculator – this task is ongoing - site constraints data has been reviewed/ updated as part of the Local Plan Review. The Brownfield Ground Risk Calculator may be used in the future. The Brownfield Land Fund is supporting the delivery of brownfield land.
•	Support the delivery of housing on brownfield land, including through identifying available funding streams and supporting landowners to access support in bringing brownfield land forward for development – this task is ongoing - Oldham Council is working with the GMCA to support housing on brownfield land through the Brownfield Land Fund. 10 sites in Oldham have accessed funding as a result. A further 3 sites within Oldham Town Centre have also been granted One Public Estate Brownfield Land Funding, and further sites may access this fund in the future. Sites are identified within Appendix 3.
•	Continue to enable members of the public to put forward suitable, achievable and available sites for housing delivery for consideration as part of future SHLAA reviews – this task is ongoing - sites can be put forward to the council for consideration as part of the annual SHLAA update. Sites were also able to be put forward for consideration as part of the Draft Local Plan consultation.
•	Identify opportunities to package suitable sites together and explore and maximise funding opportunities to bring key housing sites forward – this task is ongoing - linked to the delivery of key housing sites through the Residential Delivery Pipeline. As part of this process, a collection of four council-owned sites in Derker have been packaged and put forward for development (which now has planning permission).
3.16	In terms of identifying opportunities for the re-use of vacant buildings to deliver new homes, the task of engagaing with owners of vacant buildings and exploring options for bringing empty homes back into use, in line with the Empty Homes Strategy, has been identified. This task is ongoing - work is underway as part of the Empty Homes Strategy to engage with owners of vacant properties and consider offering options to support re-use, including: Purchase Repair and Lease and Repair. Should owners not engage, enforcement options such as Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO), Compulsory Purchase and Enforced Sales Procedure (ESP), may be considered. In addition, the council’s Mill Strategy identifies opportunities for repurposing mills for homes.
3.17	Two tasks have been identified to support small site development:
•	Explore opportunities for facilitating and supporting the delivery of self-build, custom-build and community-led housing through providing guidance on how to bring forward those sites – this task is ongoing - opportunities and policies for self-build, custom-build and community-led housing, are being considered as part of the Local Plan Review.
•	Identify suitable council-owned small sites for housing development and support the delivery of housing on these sites – this task is ongoing - the council is actively working to identify and bring forward small sites for housing development. Several small sites such as Hilda Street and James Street, have been identified as part of the housing land supply and some have been proposed for allocation as part of the Draft Local Plan.
3.18	To ensure the delivery of social homes, including delivering 500 new social homes over the next five years, the task of supporting developers/ registered providers access funding and working with council partners to bring suitable sites forward, has been identified. This task is ongoing - a Housing Roundtable was held in February 2024. Senior representatives from all of Oldham's major social housing providers, along with private landlords, letting agents, developers and housebuilders, charities and more, discussed Oldham’s housing crisis and how partners can work together to tackle it. As part of this Roundtable, Oldham Council pledged to deliver 500 new social homes within the borough over the next 5 years. Further information is available online.
Delivery of the council’s ambition to improve and increase the housing offer within Oldham
3.19	Actions within this theme focus on the council’s ambition to improve and increase the housing offer within Oldham. 
3.20	The Housing Strategy sets out the ambition to create attractive housing opportunities or a ‘housing offer’ which offers choice in terms of affordability, tenancy options, and housing type, is attractive to young or old people, provides supported housing for vulnerable people, includes options for community-led housing, is accessible to large and inter-generational families and is of a good quality and condition.
3.21	Actions within this theme include:
•	Support the implementation of the Housing Strategy;
•	Support the implementation of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework; and
•	Support the implementation of the Local Plan and other local planning documents.
3.22	A 2023/24 update to the Local Housing Needs Assessment (2019) has recently been prepared, and will be available in due course. This will inform the Housing Strategy refresh, the Local Plan Review and other relevant strateigies as appropriate. 
3.23	In addition, the task of supporting the development of ‘District Growth Plans’ is identified. District Growth Plans are in place to guide the future growth of Oldham’s districts, which may support opportunities for housing development, where appropriate. The development of District Growth Plans is ongoing - in 2023, the preparation of District Growth Plans began, commencing with West District and North District). These will form a similar function to ‘Place Plans’, as was recommended by the Housing Strategy. 
3.24	In terms of supporting the implementation of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework (as part of the 'Creating a Better Place' vision, including the focus on residential development with the delivery of around 2,000 new homes), Muse have recently been appointed as the council’s development partner for this project and will support the delivery of the Framework and 2,000 new homes. The Framework will identify development opportunity sites for new homes which will inform the housing land supply and site allocations, identified as part of the Local Plan Review, as appropriate.
3.25	In terms of supporting the implementation of the Local Plan and other local planning documents, three tasks were identified:
•	Support and input into the delivery of the Places for Everyone Joint DPD – this task has been completed. Places for Everyone was adopted on 21 March 2024, becoming part of Oldham’s Local Plan.
•	Progress the review of Local Plan – this task ongoing - Oldham’s Draft Local Plan was published for consultation in January 2024. Further stages and the timetable for the Local Plan are set out in the Local Development Scheme.
•	Prepare the Oldham Design Code setting out guidance regarding planning requirements and standards relating to new housing development – this task is ongoing - Oldham Code to be developed as part of Local Plan Review.
1.1.1	
4	Key Housing Sites 
Identifying Key Housing Sites
4.1	The previous Action Plan identified ‘priority sites’ for housing development. As set out above, these priority sites have been re-termed as ‘key housing sites’ and have been updated in line with the Residential Delivery Pipeline which has been developed since the previous Action Plan. This section identifies the key housing sites which make up the Residential Delivery Pipeline. 
4.2	These sites will aim to increase the amount of homes built within Oldham and diversify the housing offer within the borough. A number of the sites will be supported through to delivery by the council, including assisting in site investigation, access to funding, planning application preparation and on-site delivery, where appropriate. 
4.3	The sites have largely been informed by the housing land supply identified within the SHLAA (as at 1 April 2023). However, some site details have been updated slightly since the publication of the SHLAA, and as such may differ, for example where emerging evidence has identified an amended capacity, timescale for delivery or density assumption etc. All sites will be updated where necessary as part of the next SHLAA review (as at 1 April 2024).
4.4	The timeline for the delivery of these sites is identified indicatively, informed by the SHLAA or other evidence. This sets out an indicative time period for when it is expected that these sites will be delivered – short term (0-5 years), medium term (5-10 years) and long term (10+ years) - and is reviewed annually.
4.5	The characteristics of each site will determine the extent of support required to deliver the sites, for example, some of the large-scale town centre sites and PfE allocations will require longer-term support due to the scale and wider regeneration required to facilitate delivery, whilst some of the less strategic sites or non-council owned sites may be delivered quickly and with less support required from the council.
4.6	Three categories of sites - council-owned sites, sites delivered by council partners/ with council support, and privately-owned/ delivered sites - have been identified.
4.7	A breakdown of the sites within each category is set out in Appendix 2 (contained within a separate document).
Council-owned sites
4.8	Council-owned sites are sites which are owned by the council and are actively being promoted and/or delivered by the council. In owning the sites the council has greater autonomy over their development, including being able to specify development requirements, such as the level and type of affordable housing, in line with the council’s priorities. As set out above, development briefs are in the process of being prepared for some of these sites. The briefs will inform prospective developers of the councils ambitions and requirements for development of the site.
4.9	In terms of the sites identified within the residential pipeline, in total the council-owned sites have the opportunity to provide around 3,417 homes (on 24 sites) over the short to long term (up to 2039). Approximately 1,505 of these homes are expected to be delivered in the short term (2023-2028). 
4.10	It is anticipated that around 626 of the 3,417 homes will be for social homes and a further 746 will be other types of affordable homes (e.g. shared ownership/ affordable rented). Around 2,045 will be market sales homes. These tenure splits may change, and more sites may become available for affordable housing over time, as many sites are identified within the medium to long term timescales and therefore tenure split is not yet defined.
Sites delivered by council partners or with council support
4.11	This category includes sites which are being delivered with the council’s partners, such as Registered Affordable Housing Providers or Specialist Housing Providers. It also includes sites which may be delivered by the council’s partners or privately, but where the council may have a supporting role (masterplanning, land assembly or supporting access to funding).
4.12	In total there are 2,992 homes (on 15 sites) identified as being deliverable by council partners or those with council support, over the short to long term. Approximately 323 of these homes are expected to be delivered in the short term (2023-2028).
4.13	Currently, the split of market / affordable / social homes is not known for many of the sites within this category as this is often not finalised until planning application stage and many do not currently have planning permission.
4.14	Of those which have planning permission or where the split is identified, around 132 homes will be for social homes, which are all expected to be delivered in the short term. A further 200 homes are identified for other types of affordable homes (e.g. shared ownership/ affordable rented). These tenure splits may change, and more sites may become available for affordable housing over time. These sites will also deliver market sales housing. 
4.15	This category includes several of the PfE Strategic Allocations, such as JPA10 Beal Valley and JPA12 Broadbent Moss, where the council are currently supporting the masterplanning of the site, including addressing supporting infrastructure requirements.
Privately-owned sites
4.16	Privately-owned sites are sites which are privately-owned and being delivered privately by a landowner or developer. This is the largest category of sites, and is the most subject to change as it includes a significant amount of sites without planning permission and sites identified as being deliverable within the medium to long term. Indeed, sites within this category may move to the ‘delivered by council partners or with council support’ category over time.
4.17	This category also includes a significant amount of small sites - 217 sites with a capacity of 5 homes and less – which are either permissioned or under construction, and are therefore expected to complete within the short term.
4.18	In total the privatey-owned sites have the potential to deliver 6,244 homes (on 389 sites). 
4.19	As with the previous category, the split of market / affordable / social homes is not known for many of the sites within this category as this is often not finalised until planning application stage and many do not currently have planning permission and are identified within the medium to long term delivery timescales.
4.20	However, of the sites which have planning permission or where the split is identified, around 263 affordable homes (for shared ownership or affordable rent) are identified.  These are all expected to be delivered within the short term. A further 1,316 market homes are identified as being deliverable within the short term also.
4.21	Of the 389 privately owned sites with an indicative capacity of 6,244 homes:
•	163 sites (1,253 homes) have a extant planning permission;
•	113 sites (885 homes) are under construction; and
•	113 sites (4,106 homes) do not have planning permission currently.

1.	
5	Implementation and Monitoring 
5.1	The Action Plan will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis.
5.2	Monitoring and governance arrangements regarding the implementation of the Action Plan will be aligned with the council’s Monitoring Report (AMR) and SHLAA.

6	Appendix 
Appendix 1 Housing Delivery Actions
Improving capacity and process actions
Action required 	Task description 	Expected outcomes 	Progress update	
Continue and
improve member training as appropriate.	Continue to provide annual training to 
Planning Committee members with interim updates as required.	Better understanding of the role and process of the Planning Committee.	Member training is carried out annually.	
	Provide updates regarding changes to legislation and policy to members as appropriate.	Better understanding of the role and process of the Planning Committee.	Members are regularly updated of legislative and policy changes.	
	Review process in consultation with members as appropriate for
delegating planning applications and
member call-ins. Including a review of the Planning Scheme of Delegation.	No more than 5% of planning applications are determined by Planning Committee.	Complete - Planning Scheme of Delegation revised in 2020.	
Improve officer and member knowledge and understanding of viability.	Improve officer and member knowledge and understanding of viability, particularly
in relation to the delivery of strategic housing sites.	A better understanding of viability issues and constraints.	Complete - 
Officer training was carried out in April 2020.

Members training is carried out annually.	
Review and improve residential planning application processes	Introduce a pre-application
advice service that incorporates a ‘one team’ approach to
ensure more effective communication and consistent messaging regarding planning priorities and
requirements.	Better communication between council departments and provision of consistent advice to prospective developers.	Complete - 
Pre-application service has been in place since 2018.	
	Improve the efficient execution of S106 agreements.	Reducing the time taken to secure agreements and
improving the
monitoring of those that are in place.	On-going

Infrastructure
Funding Statement is incorporated into the authorities Monitoring Report providing information on S106 agreements secured and monies spent. 	
	Review planning obligations and priorities to provide
clarity regarding planning
requirements.	Greater understanding
regarding council priorities and clarification (for developers)
regarding the council’s expectations.	To be actioned – the Local Plan Review will consider planning obligations, including potentially identifying priorities.	
	Introduce the use of Planning Performance Agreements (PPA’s) for larger-scale developments and more complex housing sites.	Agreement on realistic determination timescales and
increase in the number of PPA’s.	Complete - 
PPA's introduced as part of the
pre-application service.	
Improve engagement with developers/ housing providers	Continue the dialogue with developers and registered providers through the Strategic Housing Group (proposed as part of the Housing Strategy) and holding six-monthly developer forums as appropriate.	A wider understanding of issues regarding
housing delivery and more effective
implementation and monitoring of the Housing Delivery Action Plan.	On-going - the Strategic Housing Group meets around every 3 months.

Also, recently a Housing Roundtable was held by the council which brought together key stakeholders to discuss housing issues within the borough and identify actions to address issues collaboratively. This is detailed further under the ‘Increasing delivery of sites within the housing land supply, in particular on brownfield sites’ theme below.	

Increasing the delivery of sites within the housing land supply actions
Action required	Task description 	Expected outcomes 	Progress update 	
Identify deliverable and viable housing sites across the borough and support their delivery, with a focus on brownfield
land.	Previous task: Review the housing land supply (including lapsed and stalled sites) and identify ‘priority’ sites and prepare a supporting delivery plan to set out how these will be brought forward, and their delivery
reviewed.

Updated task: Review the housing land supply and support the delivery of key housing sites through the Housing Delivery Pipeline.	Previous expected outcomes: An action plan setting out how ‘priority’ sites will be delivered. The action plan will be
reviewed and updated regularly to demonstrate how the council, and its partners, are facilitating the delivery of housing.

Updated expected outcomes: A housing delivery pipeline identifying the key housing sites that will be delivered. The pipeline will be
reviewed and updated regularly to demonstrate how the council, and its partners, are facilitating the delivery of housing.

	On-going

The housing land supply is reviewed as part of the annual update.

‘Priority sites’, now termed ‘key housing sites’, have been identified as part of the council’s Housing Delivery Pipeline. The pipeline splits sites into categories depending on their delivery status, for example ‘council-owned’ or ‘delivered by council parterns’. The pipeline is a live project which will support and monitor the delivery of sites and will be updated regularly. 

This action has been updated accordingly.

Appendix 2, which in the previous version identified ‘priority sites’, now identifies the Housing Delivery Pipeline.	
	Prepare planning/ development briefs for key housing sites where appropriate, providing clear direction
regarding policy framework,
requirements and expectations (including obligations and standards).	Preparation of planning/ development briefs for key housing sites where appropriate.

	On-going

To support the delivery of key housing sites, the council has prepared  development briefs for key housing sites in council ownership, including Southlink. Former South Chadderton and  Kaskenmoor school sites and land at Higher Lime.	
	Identify suitable opportunities for the delivery of larger scale ‘major’ sites within the urban area, capable of providing 100/200+ dwellings through future SHLAA reviews and identify mechanisms to facilitate their delivery.	Identification of opportunities for the delivery of larger scale ‘major’ sites in the urban area.	On-going

As identified in part 1 of this Action Plan, the number of 100/200+ dwelling sites in the housing land supply has increased. In particular, there are several within Oldham Town Centre, as part of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework, which will facilitate their delivery. Key sites in Oldham Town Centres and others in the housing land supply have been identified as potential allocations in the Draft Local Plan. Several large-scale sites are also identified as Places for Everyone Allocations.	
	Review and improve the Brownfield
Register to facilitate delivery of brownfield land.	Increased delivery of housing sites on brownfield land.	Brownfield Register reviewed and amended annually as per updated regulations (latest published December 2023).	
	Review and improve constraints information available to facilitate delivery of brownfield land, such as the use of the Brownfield Site Risk Calculator.	Increased delivery of housing sites on brownfield land.	On-going 

Site constraints data has been reviewed and updated as part of the Local Plan Review. The Brownfield Ground Risk Calculator may be used in the future. Supporting the delivery of brownfield land has been considered by the Brownfield Land Fund, as set out within a new action below.		
	New action: Support the delivery of housing on brownfield land, including through identifying available funding streams and supporting landowners to access support in bringing brownfield land forward for development.	Increased delivery of housing sites on brownfield land.	On-going

Oldham Council is  working with the GMCA to facilitate and support landowners to bring forward housing on brownfield land through the Brownfield Land Fund. 10 sites in Oldham have accessed funding as a result. A further 3 sites within Oldham Town Centre have also been granted One Public Estate Brownfield Land Funding, and further sites may access this fund in the future. 

Sites are identified within Appendix 3.	
	Continue to enable members of the public to put forward suitable, achievable and available sites for housing delivery for consideration as part of future SHLAA
reviews.	Members of the public can put forward a suitable, achievable and available site for housing delivery as part of an open Call for Sites that will feed into SHLAA updates as appropriate.	On-going

Sites can be put forward to the council for consideration as part of the annual Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) update.

The Draft Local Plan also consulted upon proposed site allocations and members of the public were able to put forward additional sites for consideration as part of this consultation.	
	Identify opportunities to package suitable sites together and explore and
maximise funding opportunities to bring key housing sites forward.	Delivery of residential development on sites that may 
not otherwise be developed.	On-going

Linked to the delivery of key housing sites through the Housing Delivery Pipeline.

As part of this process, a collection of four council-owned sites in Derker have been packaged and put forward for development. A planning application for 132 homes, including 43 affordable homes, across these sites was granted planning permission in April 2024 (FUL/350118/22). 
	
Identifying opportunities for the re-use of vacant buildings to deliver new homes.	Previous task:
Improve collection of information on vacant buildings to identify those that may have the potential for re-use as residential. Align with business rates and Empty Homes Strategy.

Updated task: Engage with owners of vacant buildings and explore options for bringing empty homes back into use, in line with the Empty Homes Strategy.	Identification of vacant buildings with the potential for
re-use as residential as part of the housing land supply.	On-going

Work is underway as part of the Empty Homes Strategy to engage with owners of vacant properties and consider offering options to support re-use, including: Purchase Repair and Lease and Repair. Should owners not engage, enforcement options such as Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO), Compulsory Purchase and Enforced Sales Procedure (ESP), may be considered.

In addition, the council’s Mill Strategy identifies opportunities for
repurposing mills for homes and has helped to inform the preparation of the borough’s housing land supply. 	
Support small site development	Explore opportunities for facilitating and supporting the delivery of self-build, custom-build and community-led housing through providing guidance on how to bring forward those sites.	Increase delivery of self-build , custom-build and community-led  housing.	On-going

Opportunities and policies for self-build, custom-build and community-led housing is being considered as part of the Local Plan Review.	
	New action: Identify suitable council-owned small sites for housing development and support the delivery of housing on these sites.	Increase delivery of housing on small sites which otherwise may not be developed.	On-going

The council is actively working to identify and bring forward small sites for housing development. Several small sites such as Hilda Street and James Street, have been identified as part of the housing land supply and some have been proposed for allocation as part of the Draft Local Plan.	
Support the delivery of social homes, including delivering 500 new social homes over the next five years.	Support the delivery of social homes as a truly affordable housing option, including through supporting developers/ providers access funding and working with council partners to bring suitable sites forward.	Increase the number of social homes available to reduce demand for this type of housing on the council’s affordable housing needs register. Meet the council’s target of 500 new social homes over the next five years.	Ongoing.

A Housing Roundtable was held in February 2024. Senior representatives from all of Oldham's major social housing providers were at the event, along with private landlords, letting agents, developers and housebuilders, charities and more. Together with the council, they discussed Oldham’s housing crisis and how partners can work together to tackle it. 

At this Roundtable, as a response to the housing crisis, Oldham Council pledged to deliver 500 new social homes within the borough over the next 5 years. Further information is available online.	

Delivery of the council’s ambition to improve an increase the housing offer within Oldham
Action required	Task description 	Expected outcomes 	Progress update 	
Support the implementation of the Housing Strategy	Implementation of the council’s Housing Strategy 2019 Delivery Plan.	Delivery of Housing Strategy 2019 ambitions and outcomes.	On-going

A 2023/24 update to the Local Housing Needs Assessment (2019) has been prepared and will be available in due course. 

A refresh of the Housing Strategy is intended in the near future to respond to the housing crisis and embed findings from the LHNA update. This will inform future Housing Delivery Test Action Plans.	
	Previous task: Planning officers to contribute towards the preparation of ‘Place Plans’ and ‘Housing Insights’, identified in the council’s Housing Strategy, to inform the Local Plan process.

Updated task:  Support the development of ‘District Growth Plans’.	Previous expected outcomes: Place Plans and
Housing Insights are in place as appropriate.

Updated expected outcomes: District Growth Plans are in place to guide the future growth of Oldham’s districts, which may support opportunities for housing development, where appropriate.	On-going

The previous action plan noted that ‘Place Plans’ and ‘Housing Insights’ would be prepared to inform future growth of the borough’s districts. In 2023, the preparation of District Growth Plans began, commencing with West District and North District). These will form a similar function to ‘Place Plans’, as was recommended by the Housing Strategy. District Growth Plans will identify opportunities for future growth and development of districts based on local stakeholder ambitions.

In terms of Housing Insights, the Draft Local Plan Housing Topic Paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the borough’s housing context.	
Support the implementation of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework	Support implementation of the Oldham Town Centre Development Framework as part of the 'Creating a Better Place' vision, including the focus on residential development with the delivery of around 2,000 new homes.	Delivery of residential development, in line with the Framework, to meet local housing needs and deliver future housing growth.	On-going

The Framework will identify development opportunity sites for new homes which will inform the housing land supply and site allocations, identified as part of the Local Plan Review, as appropriate. 

Muse have recently been appointed as the council’s development partner for this project and will support the delivery of the Framework, including around 2,000 homes within the town centre.	
Support the implementation of the Local Plan and other local planning documents.	Support and input into the delivery of
Places for Everyone Joint DPD.	Adoption of Places for Everyone Joint DPD.	Complete -  Places for Everyone came into effect  on 21 March 2024, becoming part of Oldham’s Local Plan.	
	Progress the review of Local Plan.	Previous expected outcome: Progression to next stage of Local Plan Review (Draft Plan).

Updated expected outcome: Progression to next stage of Local Plan Review (Publication Plan).	Oldham’s Draft Local Plan was published for consultation in January 2024.

Further stages and the timetable for the Local Plan are set out in the Local Development Scheme.	
	Preparation of the Oldham Design Code setting out guidance
regarding planning requirements and
standards relating to new housing development.	Clarity regarding planning policy
requirements.	On-going

Oldham Code to be developed as part of Local Plan Review.	

Appendix 2: Key Housing Sites
6.1	Contained within a separate document.

Appendix 3: Sites with Brownfield Land Funding
Site Name	Developer Partner	Number of Homes	Funding Source	
Derker sites (Land at Abbotsford Road, Evelyn Street, London Road and Former Cromform Mill)	Hive Homes	132 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Westvale (Land at Vale Drive/ Former Crossbank House)	First Choice Homes	88 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Bullcote Lane 	Countryside Properties	48 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Maple Mill	MCI	96 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Moss Hey Street, Shaw	Great Places	65 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Mumps, Princes Gate	Muse	347 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Foundry Street, Coldhurst	Jigsaw	15 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Jubilee Mill, Waterhead	Wiggetts	35 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Thatcher and Belgrave Road	First Choice Homes	19 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Vaughan Street, Royton	Great Places	46 homes	GMCA Brownfield Land Fund	
Former Leisure Centre, Lord Street	Muse	250 homes	One Public Estate Brownfield Land Fund	
Former Magistrates Court and Manchester Chambers	Muse	125 homes	One Public Estate Brownfield Land Fund	
Civic Centre, West  Street	Muse	200 homes	One Public Estate Brownfield Land Fund