The first batch of newly refurbished homes at a retirement living complex are now ready for new tenants to move in.
The owner of Farish House, social housing landlord Incommunities, has shared its plans for the 55 homes within the Keighley building.
At the end of last year, work started to bring 26 empty flats and studios in Farish House up-to-date. Improvements included installing new kitchens and bathrooms in some of the homes, showers in all studio flats and a full redecoration.
Five of the newly refurbished flats in this sheltered accommodation for people aged 65 and over, are now complete, with the remaining 21 scheduled for completion in late spring.
The refurbishment at Farish House is part of a wider programme of investment in Incommunities homes, with work already underway at several retirement living complexes and blocks of flats across the Bradford district.
New lifts have been installed at Ailsa House, Waryn House and Ruth House. New boilers and/or central heating systems have been installed at Earlswood Gardens, Ivy Bank Court, Green Bank Court and Forester Court. New roofs have also been installed at Fairfax House and Wellesley House.
The latest retirement housing complex to undergo work is Maple Court in Bingley, where redecoration work, new flooring, a new communal kitchen and the installation of a new lift has just started.
Speaking of the investment in the blocks and communal living buildings, Graeme Scott, Executive Director of Development and Assets at Incommunities, commented: “There are 55 separate homes within Farish House, 26 of these have been sitting empty as they weren’t fit for purpose. This refurbishment work will bring these 26 much needed homes back into use.
“There has been a lot major work going on in many of our buildings throughout the past 12 months, but there’s lots more work still to do.
“We are committed to investing in all our homes and communities, which is why we are about to start an independent review of the condition of all the homes that we provide. This will allow us to proactively plan maintenance and investment across all our 22,000 homes.
“Whilst the review is ongoing, we will continue to carry out the necessary major work on our customers’ homes, in addition to day-to-day repairs and maintenance.”
Sylvia Thompson, who has lived at Farish House in Keighley for four years, said: “It’s not quite finished yet, but what Incommunities has done has changed things a lot for us. The investment in our homes offers us security and we’re staying together as a community.”
