Lincoln Road. Phase Three Concludes.

Published by Michael Ord for South Tyneside Homes in Housing and also in Communities

Lincoln Road. Phase Three Reaches its Conclusion. Nov 2012

 Tenants in Lincoln Road and Marsden Lane, South Shields, are now set to enjoy their newly refurbished homes as Phase Three of Decent Homes modernisations in their area reaches its conclusion.

 South Tyneside Homes, the Arms Length Management Organisation that manages and maintains the Council’s 18,000 homes, has been running Phase Three of the modernisation of non-traditionally constructed homes in the area which involves new external insulation thermal upgrades, A-rated windows, new roofing with solar PV panels and the full range of internal Decent Homes works such as new kitchens, bathrooms, efficient heating systems and rewiring.

 This two-year programme has seen £5.5 million invested in 137 homes. All residents were temporarily rehoused while the work was carried out. The effects of this have visually transformed the area and the benefits to all residents are fantastic.

 The process of moving residents, who in many instances needed additional support, has been a very difficult and complex piece of work for the Customer Liaison and Survey Team.

 The programme has been managed by the Decent Homes Delivery Team and the work completed by Esh Property Services.

 From the extensive work carried out all residents will benefit from warmer homes, improved health and wellbeing and also reduced fuel bills. Customer satisfaction has been excellent and south Tyneside Homes has received some fantastic feedback from very satisfied residents about the improvements made that have transformed their homes and the visual appearance of the estate.

Working with our partners Esh Property Services had the added benefit of colourful posters about safety near building sites which were designed by pupils from Sea View Primary School.

 The work is part of an ERDF collaborative project with NAREC (National Renewable Energy Centre) to install low-carbon and renewable energy technologies and systems into selected properties, helping to improve the housing stock in the region and regenerate off-gas or non-traditional construction properties to make energy-efficiency improvements and the major refurbishment of non-traditional homes in parts of South Shields as well as three tower blocks in Jarrow Town Centre.

 Funding assistance has been from the European Regional Development Fund as well as a contribution from energy company SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy).

 Leader of the Council Iain Malcolm (who is also a Ward Member for the area) and Councillor Mark Walsh joined officers from South Tyneside Homes, Esh Property Services and some local tenants to celebrate the works, which are scheduled to finish by the end of December.

 Tenants have been full of praise for South Tyneside Homes and its partner contractor.

 Mrs Lynn Tate of Lincoln Road said, “I’m pleased with the works” while Mrs Ann Brown of the same street added, “I’ve been back home about a month now and I’m thrilled to bits with it.”

Graham Morgan, Operations Director of Esh Property Services said, “We are delighted to have received good customer satisfaction ratings from residents, with some excellent feedback and compliments about the work that the teams have carried out.”

 Ross Thomson, Energy Efficiency Manager at SSE added, “SSE is delighted to have been able to work with South Tyneside Homes during such an ambitious programme of refurbishment and energy efficiency improvement works. The funding provided by SSE is to help reduce carbon emissions within domestic properties across the company. To hear of the benefits enjoyed by the occupants of such properties in the South Tyneside area as a result of this is great news.”

  Speaking about the works Councillor Malcolm said, “It’s very rewarding to see such a major transformation of the homes in this area, and to know that tenants will be benefiting from these improvements in their homes for many years to come,” while Councillor Walsh added, “ I’m over the moon. Having been brought up around here it’s great to see the excellent work that South Tyneside Homes and its partners have done to make it look fantastic.”

 Mark Whittle, Director of Investment at South Tyneside Homes said, “The Decent Homes refurbishment of non-traditional homes in the borough is one of the largest and most ambitious ongoing in the UK at present. We are proud of our delivery and delighted to be receiving such positive feedback from tenants about their new amenities. The estates are also looking great aesthetically and the homes are much more energy efficient now.”