More than 1,000 new homes are set to be built in Oldham each year under the government's housing target.

The new government has said local housing targets will be made mandatory again, with Housing Secretary Angela Rayner recently unveiling an overhaul of England's planning rules to help deliver Labour's promise of 1.5m new homes by 2029.

Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show the proposed target for Oldham has been set at 1,049 new homes annually.

According to these figures, Oldham has the second lowest target for new homes out of the 10 borough in Greater Manchester, with only Rochdale having a lower annual target.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

Cllr Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Decent Homes, said: “The council welcomes the government’s proposals to Get Britain Building Again, which includes a new way of calculating local housing need.  

“At this stage these are proposals out for consultation, so we’re looking forward to engaging with the Government and finding out more about the plans, including the new higher housing requirement that would apply to Oldham.”

Ms Rayner has said that the new flexibilities for local councils will "boost the number of social and affordable homes" and will help to give "working families a better route to a secure home".

The Deputy Prime Minister, who previously represented Failsworth, is overseeing the new plansThe Deputy Prime Minister, who previously represented Failsworth, is overseeing the new plans

Cllr Taylor said: “The council, and our partners, are working hard to address the housing crisis in the borough so we are also glad to hear other proposals as part of Get Britain Building Again.

“These include the building of more affordable homes and planning reforms which aim make sure the right to infrastructure is in place to support new developments and growth.”

The reforms will also see the government allow the targeted release of what they have called grey belt land, which includes unused petrol stations and car parks on parts of protected land known as the green belt.

Cllr Howard Sykes, leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrats, said the government could "use whatever language they like" but "a Green Belt land grab does nothing to get young people onto the housing ladder".

He called for the use of more brownfield sites and said the term grey belt was "a smoke screen and disingenuous".