Alnwick homes among those to benefit from £8.5m investment

The annual capital works programme carries out major planned improvements such as new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems, the replacement of roofs, doors and windows, and electrical rewires.

Homes across Alnwick and Blyth have benefitted from the improvements this year with more than 600 homes receiving new heating systems, 300 new roofs and 350 new kitchens and bathrooms.

And from April 2018, the council will launch an £80million, eight-year investment plan to continue to roll out improvements across its housing stock.

The plan will see the number of new kitchens fitted per year double to 450. Up to 200 homes will have new bathrooms every year and 400 new heating systems will be installed. The rolling programme of work ensures that properties reach the Decent Homes standard.

Tenants whose homes are included in next year’s work programme will be invited to an exhibition in February to choose their new kitchen and bathroom suites.

Coun John Riddle, cabinet member for housing, said: “Everyone is entitled to live in a decent home and the launch of an eight-year investment plan next year continues to demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest standard of living for our tenants.

“We have found in previous years that improvement works to people’s homes has a positive impact on the community as a whole. If people live in a home they can be proud of, they tend to take more care of the estates and areas in which they live.”