Estate to be blitzed and then rebuilt

Jan 14 2009 by Dave Black, The Journal

SCORES of families will be moved out of their homes for six months while they are demolished and rebuilt in a £7m project to remodel an ageing housing estate in a Northumberland town.

More than 80 houses in Stead Lane North, Bedlington Station, will be bulldozed to their foundations and then rebuilt where they stood – allowing tenants to move back into massively improved accommodation.

The revamp – which starts soon and will take two years to complete – is the biggest single project undertaken by housing company Wansbeck Homes since it took over the management of the district’s 5,500 council houses and flats less than 12 months ago. It also brings a major boost for joint contractors Frank Haslam Milan and C W Davis, who will share the £7m contract at a time when the construction industry is in a big slump.

A total of 86 houses built more than 50 years ago will be knocked down to their concrete foundations and then rebuilt with a new layout, including the fitting of modern kitchens, bathrooms, doors and windows.

They will be given new, low-energy heating systems – designed to cut energy use by 10% – new garden walls and have their outbuildings replaced by sheds. Environmental improvements will also be carried out on the estate.

Yesterday Steve Williams, Wansbeck Homes’ programme manager, said: “We looked at the option of simply rebuilding the exterior of the Bedlington houses. However, demolishing them down to the foundations and beginning again from scratch is not only just as cost-effective but will provide our tenants with a far better property, with a much bigger kitchen, new downstairs toilet and modern fixtures and fittings throughout their home.”

David Mellor, managing director with Frank Haslam Milan, said: “The project to upgrade these prefab houses will dramatically improve the quality of life for tenants.”