A NEW apartment building at the former home of the Radcliffe Times has been completed.

Tenants have taken up their homes at a total of ten new one-bed apartments created at the formerly derelict site, in Church Street West, and on adjacent brownfield land.

Many features of the 121-year-old building have been retained, including the newspaper office's facade.

Councillor Clare Cummins, cabinet member for housing services, said: “This prominent high street site, which was a derelict eyesore for years, now provides stylish new flats for affordable living, with large full height windows providing light and airy lounges with attractive views of the river.”

She added that the work demonstrated Bury Council's commitment to delivering affordable homes to meet housing need in the borough.

A huge blaze had affected the property, which overhangs the River Irwell, in 2009 and gale force winds left the roof in a state of collapse in January 2017.

Planning permission for the site was granted in 2018 and a grant was received from Homes England.

A conditional agreement was later made between Bury Council and North West-based Paul Cook Developments, stating that once the properties were completed they would owned by the council and made available for affordable rent.

The first phase of the development was completed in May and saw the conversion of the Church Street West building into six one-bed council flats.

Completion of the second phase on the adjacent land has now provided a further four flats.

These properties are managed and have all been let by Six Town Housing at 'affordable rent', on behalf of the council.

Sharon McCambridge, chief executive of Six Town Housing, said: “We have already welcomed everyone into their new homes and are helping them to settle in.”

The development has been hailed as an important step in the radical plans to regenerate Radcliffe.

The huge overhaul is part of a 15-year strategic framework (SRF) and promises significant levels of new homes ­— many of which will be affordable, the council has said.

Council leader Eamonn O’ Brien added: “When it comes to new housing, our policy is ‘brownfield first’, and this site has been given a fresh lease of life and now provides much needed affordable housing in the area.

"We were really pleased to have been able to attract external funding for this project and hope to build on this success with some of our other brownfield sites.

“It also complements our wider plans to regenerate Radcliffe town centre for the next 10 to 15 years.

"The wider project here was also able to retain a key part of Radcliffe’s heritage with the “Radcliffe Times” façade being kept in place and refreshed.”