Tenants Get First Glimpse of Upcoming Housing Improvement Works

Wrexham Council tenants have been given a preview of the new kitchens and bathrooms they will soon be receiving as part of a major countywide housing improvements project.

The two busy open day events were held last week around the Borough, one in Gwersyllt at Bradley Cricket Club, and another at Garth and Trevor Community Centre near Llangollen.

These are two areas where improvement work is due to start in the next few weeks.

Tenants were invited to the events to meet staff from Wates Living Space, the contractors who will be carrying out the work, to ask questions and view some of the designs available for them to choose from. Staff from kitchen design firm, Symphony, and Triton Showers were also on hand to answer queries.

The kitchens and bathrooms replacement is part of Wrexham Council’s comprehensive project to bring all its housing up to the Welsh Government’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard.

In February the project received a huge boost when the Council’s Executive board approved a record £54m investment for work to continue over the next 12 months.

Trevor Council tenant, Aaron Rogers welcomed the news at the open event, stating: “This will make a big difference to our house. Our current kitchen and bathroom are starting to look very dated now by 21st century standards, but I’ve been impressed with the quality of what’s on offer here. They are all very modern designs.”

Gwersyllt tenant, Janet Roberts was also encouraged by the choices on offer: “We’ve been given a sheet with different options so we can choose the colours we like best for our house, which is nice. I was a bit worried about having so much disruption in the house but the staff here have been really good at answering questions for us. I particularly like the shower units which we’ll be getting in the new bathroom.”

The project will see all properties in the County Borough being offered a new kitchen and bathroom by 2020, if they do not currently meet the standard.

Local Member for Gwersyllt East/South, Cllr David Griffiths, added: “Having a kitchen and bathroom replaced can cause a lot of disruption in tenants homes so it’s important that events like this are held so that tenants have a chance to ask questions before work begins.

“This work will help bring all our properties up to a good standard so I hope as many tenants as possible take up this offer. It’s also good to see that tenants are being offered a choice of designs to choose from.”

As well as new kitchens and bathrooms, other internal and external improvements such as electrical rewiring, central heating and External Wall Insulation will also be carried out on properties where the work is required for them to meet the standard.

All properties in the County Borough will need to have achieved the standard by the Welsh Government’s 2020 deadline.

The Council anticipates that the £54m funding will allow the following work to be carried out across the County Borough over the next 12 months:

• 2,500 properties offered new kitchens and bathrooms
• 600 properties being offered new heating systems
• Around 900 properties being rewired
• Over 750 properties being re-roofed
• 187 properties having External Insulation fitted

Lead Member for Housing Cllr Ian Roberts said: “We’ve already carried out a huge amount of work over the last couple of years, with thousands of properties receiving improvement work. We are investing over £92m on improving properties between 2015-2017, and the approved budget for the next 12 months is good news for our tenants as it means many other parts of Wrexham will now be able to receive the required work to meet the standard.

“Work will also be continuing beyond this year so we can ensure that all remaining properties meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2020. The choice of colours available to tenants for their kitchens and bathrooms shows that we are working hard to go the extra mile with the quality and design of all the work being carried out.”

A comprehensive guide to the improvement work project is now available on the Council’s website – www.wrexham.gov.uk/whqs

The guide includes a timetable with information on when work is due to be carried out in each area of Wrexham, and a short video guide to the kitchen and bathroom replacement project.