Council Becomes First To Use New Anti-Social Powers To Evict Tenants

Oldham Council is believed to have become the first local authority in the country to use new anti-social behaviour powers to remove tenants from a property, after it was used as a drugs den.  The new rules came into force recently and mean that ASB incidents can be dealt more swiftly by the courts, leading to quicker evictions. Tameside Magistrates' Court approved a three-month premises closure for the property after community safety officers from social landlord First Choice Homes Oldham and police received numerous complaints from tenants about ASB and criminality. Read more on 24dash.

Developer Wins Appeal Against Affordable Housing Contribution

A developer of a housing scheme in Oldham won’t have to make a £283,000 contribution towards affordable housing after a planning inspector allowed an appeal because it was no longer economically viable to make the contribution. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council granted planning permission to developer Tamewater Developments Limited in 2008 for a 46-home scheme. Under the permission, Tamewater was obliged to make four instalments of payments to the council in lieu of the provision of affordable housing. The developer had already made the first payment of £100,000 but applied to have the remaining contributions removed under provisions introduced by the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013. These provisions allow for applications to be made to vary affordable housing requirements contained in a planning obligation if those requirements make the scheme unviable. Read more on 24dash.