Barnet Homes gives 100 million reasons to be cheerful

Published by Philippa Hancock for Barnet Homes in Housing and also in Environment

A mother and daughter in New Barnet have been presented with flowers and goodies after modernisation work at their flat saw Barnet Homes’ Decent Homes investment break the £100million barrier.

Chrisoulla Gerolymatou and her daughter Maria showed Barnet Homes’ Chief Executive Tracey Lees and Head of Asset Management Chris Wilkins around their newly fitted kitchen during the visit on Friday 13 November.

Chrisoulla and Maria have lived in Castlewood Road, EN4, for two years and are delighted with the makeover at their home.

Chrisoulla said: “I’m very pleased with the new kitchen – it’s much better than before. The workmen were very good and very polite. They kept us informed about what they were going to do and they were always on time. I’m very happy with the work and very happy to be living here.”

Since its creation in 2004, Barnet Homes has worked with its contractors Balfour Beatty, Apollo and United House to modernise more than 8,000 council-owned properties.

By the end of the Decent Homes programme in 2010-2011 it expects to have spent more than £160million on improvements such as new kitchens, bathrooms, roofs, and windows, as well as electrical upgrades and rewiring properties.

Barnet Homes Chief Executive, Tracey Lees, said: “Our Decent Homes programme is a quiet revolution that’s raising the quality of life for thousands of individual residents and families in Barnet.

“It’s the single biggest housing modernisation project ever undertaken in this borough, so we’re proud that as we hit the £100million mark we’re still on schedule and still on budget. We’re also very grateful for the hard work and support of our contractor partners throughout this process.

“It was great for me to visit Ms Gerolymatou and take a look round her home. I’m pleased she was so enthusiastic about her new kitchen. There are thousands of similar stories at council homes all over Barnet and I look forward to meeting more of these residents over the coming months.”