Empty homes transformed by housing association

THREE rundown properties in Gloucestershire have been put back into use through a housing association refurbishment scheme, it was revealed today.

Bromford has invested £160,000 in Cirencester to transform a commercial building, a flat and an unused community room – which had been empty for a number of years – into modern residential accommodation. As photos of the renovation work reveal, the commercial building is now a large two-bedroom bungalow at Fosse Close and the community room and flat are both two-bedroom flats at St Michaels Road.

The project was carried out by sub-contractor Novus Solutions and involved new kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms being fitted, upgrades to the insulation, structural repairs, asbestos removal and landscaping works. Part of the remit was to ensure the new homes were ‘future-proofed’ meaning the accommodation can be used by customers of all different needs and abilities moving forward.

Bromford said the six-month remodelling programme to bring the properties back to a good standard had stemmed from their aim of providing the right home for every customer, as well as increasing the supply of homes.

Charlie Jackson, Bromford’s head of locality, said: “As one of the main housing providers in Gloucestershire, this is an area where we can really make a difference in as we look to genuinely increase the supply of new homes.

“One of our key priorities is to ensure our homes are situated where customers want to live so we can support our customers to be their best. We also want our customers to feel proud, secure, warm and comfortable in their homes and previously these properties fell short of that standard.

“Thanks to some targeted investment and some great cross-team working these homes have been totally transformed and I’m pleased to say now have new customers living in them.”