Hillingdon Council Praises Family Housing Programme

Published by Ellie Warfield for Network Housing Group Limited in Housing and also in Communities

Hillingdon Council has praised Network Housing Group for its delivery of an innovative housing programme in the borough. The praise came after the Cabinet Member and Director for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, Cllr. Philip Corthorne and Linda Saunders, visited the Hayes home of Mr Das and his family, one of the fifteen houses provided by Network through its purchase and repair programme.
 
Through this programme, launched in January 2010, Network bought 15 two, three and five bedroom family houses on the open market in Hillingdon. It then carried out essential renovations and improvements such as rewiring, fitting new kitchens, bathrooms and boilers and some redecoration in order to bring the homes up to a high standard before making them available to families on the council’s waiting list.
 
The programme was completed in August on time and within the original £2.5 million budget.  The average total cost for Network to purchase and refurbish a three bedroom property was £224,000, whereas similar properties in a similar condition would be priced at £250,000 if on the open market – representing a saving of more than 10%.
 
The homes are all owned and managed by Stadium Housing Association, the largest member of Network Housing Group, and this programme was its first development activity in Hillingdon.
 
Mr Das, a delivery driver at Heathrow airport, had been living in temporary family accommodation for six years before moving into his new two bedroom home on Woolacombe Way, Hayes, in September. He said, “My wife and I have recently had a new baby so now with two children, we are very happy to have such a lovely family home. The road is quiet and safe and I am even able to cycle into work.  We feel so lucky to have been given this house and are very grateful to Stadium and Hillingdon Council for making it possible.”
 
Cllr. Corthorne, who met Mr Das and was given a tour of his new home, said: "It’s good we are making use of properties already available in the borough and bringing them up to scratch for residents who are in need of a home. This is a good example of partnership working and I'm pleased to say that our project with Network Housing Group has been a success.”
 
When carrying out the internal refurbishment of the properties it buys, Network and its contractors, Conduct Group, pay special attention to improving the energy efficiency of the homes by installing new boilers, improving insulation and fitting double glazing where required.  This cuts energy bills for the families and means that properties are not merely being repaired, but improved to a standard that sees them achieving energy ratings similar to those of new build homes.
 
Network has successfully carried out similar programmes in a number of other London boroughs including Richmond, Kingston, Lambeth and Newham, making over 100 family homes available to needy families.
 
Vicky Savage, assistant development director at Network Housing Group, said: “The P&R programme in Hillingdon has been enormously successful and changed 15 families’ lives for the better but none of this would have been possible without the safe and experienced hands of Stadium and the strong partnership that we’ve formed with Hillingdon Council. This is the first time that we’ve worked in the borough but we are looking forward to getting involved in future opportunities to improve housing in the area.”