IN Brief:
- First Choice Homes Oldham has brought in John Southworth Builders to complete 30 affordable apartments at Shaw Street, Royton.
- Inspections have identified defects in work completed under the original contract, making remedial construction part of the replacement appointment.
- The housing provider is targeting completion by the end of July 2027 after the original February 2024 deadline was missed.
First Choice Homes Oldham has appointed John Southworth Builders to recover and complete its £3.7m Shaw Street housing development in Royton after the earlier contractor failed to finish the project. The replacement builder has inspected work already completed and identified defects that will need remedying before the 30 affordable apartments can be handed over. First Choice Homes Oldham expects activity on site within weeks and has set the end of July 2027 as its revised completion target, more than three years after the original deadline.
The apartments occupy the former High Barn Resource Centre site close to Royton town centre. There are 15 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom homes, all designated for affordable rent. Earlier development information identifies Lancet Homes with the scheme and MPSL as its designer. The housing provider specifies electric heating and an intended Energy Performance Certificate rating of B. That rating is a design aim until assessment of the completed accommodation; it has not been demonstrated by the contractor change or by the work already undertaken.
The previous contractor, Robwood Construction, was appointed on a fixed-price agreement in May 2022. The initial programme envisaged completion in February 2024, but delivery continued to slip. In June 2026, First Choice Homes Oldham terminated the contract, citing unacceptable delays and poor contractor performance. The provider said it had supplied additional financial and practical support in an attempt to bring the project to completion, including releasing further funding. It subsequently took control of the site to establish what work remained and how long completion would realistically require.
John Southworth Builders is inheriting partially completed buildings, not starting a new project on an empty site. Its initial task is to establish the condition of structures and building services, decide what can be retained, and remedy defective work before completing the remaining construction. The company has identified defects in its inspections, but neither the contractor nor the housing provider has publicly itemised them. No particular trade, material, fire safety system, or structural element can therefore be named as defective on the evidence available.
The change of contractor also changes how the remaining work must be documented and accepted. Drawings and specifications prepared under the original contract have to be compared with the physical work on site; discovered faults must be recorded, repaired, and rechecked. The incoming team also needs an account of installations already concealed or tested, where relevant records exist. These are normal controls for completing unfinished construction rather than claims about a particular defect at Shaw Street. First Choice Homes Oldham has not published a remedial specification or the proportion of the scheme already finished.
The target of July 2027 follows the developer’s earlier termination of Robwood Construction. In June, the housing provider said that it had taken control because delays had become unacceptable despite financial and practical support intended to keep work moving. The new programme needs to accommodate remedial works, completion of outstanding building elements, relevant inspections, and eventual handover. First Choice Homes Oldham has not specified separate dates for practical completion, certification, occupation, or the first tenancies, and those stages should not be treated as interchangeable.
Neighbours have lived alongside the unfinished Shaw Street site for much longer than originally expected. In June, First Choice Homes Oldham acknowledged that the prolonged works had caused concern and said it had written to nearby households explaining its decision to take control. The original February 2024 completion date and the revised July 2027 objective illustrate the scale of the delay, although the final duration will depend on the condition and remaining scope confirmed by the incoming contractor.
The replacement appointment does not alter the announced housing mix or create an additional 30 homes beyond the original scheme. It is a recovery exercise aimed at delivering the existing affordable rent units. Similarly, the reported £3.7m is the value attributed to the development as a whole; no separate price for John Southworth Builders’ contract, costs of rectification, or revised all-in project budget has been disclosed. Any final EPC assessment will also depend on the fabric and heating systems as actually completed, including components changed during repairs.
The near-term test of the new arrangements will be visible site activity followed by a confirmed programme for the outstanding repairs and construction. First Choice Homes Oldham is aiming for the end of July 2027, but the scope of defects is not yet public and occupancy dates have not been announced. John Southworth Builders’ appointment gives the delayed Royton apartments a replacement delivery team; it does not, by itself, certify the existing work or guarantee the revised handover date.
