The ground breaking ceremony for the Miller Road Project took place on Friday 26 November 2010.



The ceremony was performed by Tony Baldry MP who broke the ground using a mechanical digger.

The Miller Road Project is a unique project to provide housing for local young people and training opportunities for young people currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The Miller Road Project is run by a partnership of Cherwell District Council, Southwark Habitat for Humanity, Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (OCVC), Connexions and Sanctuary Housing Association. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the national housing and regeneration agency, has provided £520,000 of funding from the National Affordable Housing Programme to enable the scheme.



The homes (10 x 1 bedroom maisonettes) will be built with a mixture of skilled sub-contractors and young people, who will work towards a national Open College Network Level 1 Award with a tutor from OCVC and a life skills coach/mentor from Connexions. When completed the homes will be sold to Sanctuary Housing Association and let via a nominations policy to local young people in housing need.

The first cohort of ten young people has started on site and ​will complete their training in June. The second cohort will then start and complete in December 2011. Southwark Habitat for Humanity will manage the site and ensure that high quality training opportunities are provided within the construction process.

Nominations for the scheme will be to local young people who are in housing need. The young people who take part in the Miller Road Project could apply via Cherwell District Council to be considered for a property, if they fulfil the Council’s allocations policy criteria of being in housing need and in work, education or training.

Councillor Keith Strangwood, Cherwell District Council ward member for Banbury’s Ruscote ward, said: “This scheme will give two groups of young people a chance to learn skills which could be of value to them for the rest of their lives. I have already met one of the groups – eight young men and two young women – who are signed up and eager to get working.



“This kind of initiative shows that most of today’s young people do recognise the need for hard work if they wish to succeed.”

Ken Glendinning, head of area at the HCA, said: “This is an excellent project that will build skills and confidence in these young people as well as new and affordable homes for the community. I’m delighted that the HCA has been able to support our partners in getting this project off the ground.”

Various Oxford and Cherwell Valley College students taking part in the Miller Road project also expressed their delight at the beginning of the project.

17 year-old Nathan Bowell, said: “I didn’t have much of an idea what I wanted to do future, but I really like working with my hands. The Miller Road Project has given me the chance to do this and learn some construction skills. I’m hoping the course give me a better idea of the sort of work I’d like to do – and even help me to get a job.”



​18 year-old Joe Woodall from Bretch Hill, Banbury said; “I wasn’t going to college or working when I heard about the Miller Road Project. It’s given me something to focus on and is a good opportunity for me to get into the building trade. My aim in life is to be earning a good wage, so I’m hoping to get job in construction after I’ve finished this course.”

16 year-old Richard York from Bretch Hill, Banbury says; “I really want to become a scaffolder, so I’m pleased that we’ll be learning that as part of the course.”

Susan Simmonds, Chief Executive of Southwark Habitat for Humanity said: “This is a project which will not only provide high quality homes for local young people, but also training opportunities in construction skills. We are grateful for the support of Cherwell District Council, which has had the vision and the resolve to take this innovative scheme forward. It simply would not have happened without their support in putting together a strong partnership of organisations.”



Lesley Donoghue, Acting Principal of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College says; “The Miller Road project is a fantastic opportunity for these young people who may not otherwise be in education or working. The vocational learning on offer is a huge boost to their future prospects. It provides valuable, real-life experience of the world of work as well as the chance to gain specific skills and qualifications that could lead to a job. I am sure they will also be motivated by knowing they are involved in a project that is making a positive contribution to their local community.”

Harj Lota, Managing Director, Charter Community Housing said: “Building homes is about more than just bricks and mortar – it is about creating opportunities for local people and helping them achieve their full potential.

“As well as addressing the very real need for more affordable homes in Banbury, the Miller Road project will provide valuable training and employment opportunities which will help empower young people and enable the community to thrive.”

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“The Miller Road project”, said Tony Baldry, “is a brilliant project. One of the continuing conundrums is that on the one hand, we often appear to have high youth unemployment and have a number of those who are not in Education, Employment or Training, and on the other hand, very often local employers expressing concerns that they can’t find people with the appropriate skills.

“This means that all too often, when there is an upturn in the economy, that employers respond by recruiting people with skills from elsewhere within the European Union.

“The Miller Road Project gives us the opportunity of developing some home grown skills in the construction industry – as well as building some accommodation specifically for the needs of young people.”