People living in council houses managed by Nottingham City Homes (NCH) are set to benefit from major investment in their properties over the next five years.
Plans to further modernise council houses across the city and make them safer and warmer are outlined in NCH’s new Asset Management Plan. The Plan runs from 2018 to 2023 and will see a quarter of a billion pounds of investment delivered to the 27,000 homes in the city owned by Nottingham City Council and managed by NCH.
Between 2013 and 2018, NCH began a modernisation plan that saw around 7,000 kitchens and 5,000 bathrooms upgraded, and almost 5,000 homes received new energy-efficient boilers.
The new Asset Management Plan will to continue the roll out of new boiler installations and energy efficiency measures designed to reduce residents’ gas and electricity bills, and will also replace and modernise a further 5,000 kitchens and bathrooms. The plan also sets out long-term investment plans for the maintenance of open spaces, footpaths, fencing, paved areas and landscaping.
The award winning Greener Housing scheme, which has already delivered external wall insulation to over 7,000 homes (both social and private) and solar to the roofs of over 4,600 council properties is set to continue. The refreshed programme includes an ambition to continue with the pioneering Energiesprong programme to turn some of the city’s coldest housing types into ultra-low energy homes. All the work being done links in with the council’s new Fuel Poverty Strategy, which brings together work across the city to create affordable warmth and healthy housing for all.
Cllr Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing at Nottingham City Council, said: “No matter what type of house you live in, everyone deserves a home which is of a good standard, is well managed and maintained. Providing homes which are secure, warm and energy efficient, is the foundation for a good quality of life.
“These ambitious plans set out the long-term proposals to maintain the quality of our council homes and their external environment, now and in the future. Families across the city will benefit from this investment and ensures we continue to create homes and places where people want to live.”
The delivery of the Plan is funded through the Housing Revenue Account, and has the potential to attract up to £18m of external funding. All of this equates to a capital programme of over £1m per week that also supports local employment and supply chain opportunities.
