26 November 2013
Work on the £4 million refurbishment of La Collette high-rise is scheduled to be completed in May 2014.
The scheme will improve housing standards for 56 tenants and their families living in the 14 storey high rise block.
The project is in line with the Housing Minister’s proposals to achieve 100% compliance with the Decent Homes Standard for the entire States rental stock within 10 years.
Internally all of the 56 flats have been re-wired and re-plumbed and have had a complete redecoration with new kitchens and bathrooms being fitted.
The £4m project has been funded from within the £27 million extra funding made available to housing in 2012. This fiscal stimulus funding helps support the local construction industry and delivers better housing for the Island.
Key improvements include:
- new double glazed windows
- new balconies
- new roof coverings
- new mains services
- new lifts (already complete)
- new front doors
- complete insulation of the building
- controlled asbestos removal
- concrete repair works
- heating upgrades
- replacement hot water cylinders and water storage
Tenants will benefit from homes which will be warmer, drier, cheaper to heat and easier to access. The improvements in double glazing, roof coverings and insulation will make the building more energy efficient, reducing the amount of energy used to make tenants’ homes warmer.
Tour of the site
Representatives from the Tenants Forum were given a tour of the site by the Capital Projects team and were very impressed by the amount of work that has gone into the redevelopment of the flats. Mick Morris from the forum said “Seeing the condition of the old flats made it clear how necessary and overdue the refurbishment was. We were shown two flats which were finished, a two-bedroom flat with a new bath combined with shower and a one-bedroom flat which had an impressive, large shower cubicle. The re-wiring means extra sockets, which are more suitable to a modern home. The kitchen units in both were light wood, which added to the brightness of the flats. Residents will appreciate the new windows and especially the extra cladding around the building which will make the flats really warm, cosy homes.”
Housing Minister Deputy Andrew Green MBE said “The refurbishment of the La Collette Tower is an important project and I am pleased to see it has progressed so quickly, which is not easy when you have to move people out of their homes for any period of time. The standard of the work that has gone into each of the flats is something that I am certainly very proud of and I hope that is the same for the tenants who are moving back into them.”
Treasury and Resources Minister Senator Philip Ozouf, said “These projects provide a much needed boost for social housing, while also giving a welcome boost to the construction industry. We are working with the industry to ensure that locally qualified, unemployed people are able to make the most of the job opportunities that these projects are creating. We are pleased to be able to support the construction of new social housing which will improve the lives of many Islanders. If States members approve the Budget 2014 proposals on 3 December 2013, we will have the funding needed to deliver more of our housing stock development plans.”
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