Work will start in September on a landmark building at Hollinwood.  The futuristic office development will be the first impression many people have of Oldham as they exit the M60 motorway.  Northern Counties Housing Association is behind the £2 million project, but what is the organisation and why is it coming to Oldham?  I went along to find out.

The first thing you notice about Northern Counties Housing Association as you approach their grandiose current headquarters in central Manchester, close to the Bridgewater Hall, is that it is an organisation of substance.

Ensconced in a modern office block, neatly dovetailed to a Grade Two Listed facade, this social housing provider oozes confidence.

It may be two years away from leaving the city and occupying its glitzy new home at Stable Street, Hollinwood, facing the Roxy Cinema, but it has already found a buyer for their current head offices in Princes Building.

Every move is quietly and efficiently planned, thought out and executed.

Seventeen years ago, when it took up residence at 15 Oxford Court, the staff were delighted to be associated with the buzz of city life.

Now they are equally excited at the prospect of working in what the executive directors believe will be a showpiece development, costing circa £10 million, that will not only encourage but will inspire others to invest in Oldham.

"Part of our role is to pump prime areas of development, certainly when we are looking at housing developments, and we hope this will be the case, too, with our new head office," says Ken Irving, chief executive for the past 13 years and with the association for 32.

The 57-year-old from Sale joined from a property surveying role with the Inland Revenue, initially as housing manager, and has progressed through the ranks to the top job, succeeding Bill Woof, a legend in social housing provision, who in turn succeeded Oldham man Peter O'Hare.

The Oldham connection does not end there, chairman John Thompson also hails from the town.

To the uninitiated, a thread could be emerging here, but these are mere coincidences.  So, why Oldham?

Mr Irving says: "We were actively seeking a site for a new customer care centre and one of our senior staff saw the potential of Stable Street.  We opened discussions with Oldham Council and the whole project moved on quickly.

"We have had a very positive response from our staff, 138 of us will be moving to Oldham and we will be recruiting another 50 people.

"In fact it is fair to say we have been overwhelmed by support from our people.

"Oldham in general and this site in particular, standing as it does on a motorway junction, is an ideal location in terms of the logistics of running an organisation with properties in 70 local authority areas across the North of England.

"Once the decision was made we quickly took up the option of relocating our City Response team, which has outgrown its present premises in Ancoats.

"They will have a new headquarters to the rear of the office building.

"As to the office building itself, we wanted to make a statement, to create an identity and we believe this will be achieved.

"It was also important for Oldham that this prime site said something about the town and its future."

Northern Counties Housing Association, established in 1966, manages 21,000 properties that are home to 45,000 people, is a strong brand in the social housing provision market and Oldham can only benefit from its presence in Hollinwood.

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