Energy efficient homes for Birmingham tenants
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Energy efficient homes for Birmingham tenants
Posted: 06/10/2010
One lucky Birmingham family have expressed their happiness at being presented with the keys to their high-quality, energy-efficient new council home on Pershore Road, Balsall Heath – the first to be built by Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust.Ms Mumtaz Begum (32) and her partner Mr Lizquat Zama (35), will move into their new 4-bed home along with their three children and Mr Zama’s elderly aunt in the coming weeks.
Developed through Birmingham City Council’s ambitious house building programme, the home has been built by local affordable housing specialist Lovell. Ms Begum’s family is one of four to receive the keys to their new home today.
A further 29 new homes are in the process of being completed on the Pershore Road site and will be ready for tenants by January 2011. In total, Birmingham City Council’s new build programme is currently developing 553 new homes through the Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust.
Ms Begum said: “It all seems so unreal. I had given up hope of ever transferring to a bigger property. I’m just so happy at the move. Previously there were 6 of us living in a 3-bed property and with 2 disabled children, so it was a real struggle. This new home represents a fresh start for the whole family and we all can’t wait to move in.”
Ms Begum’s former home in Acocks Green, where she has lived for the last 4 years, will now provide a housing lifeline to another family on the housing waiting list, helping to ease overcrowding in East Birmingham.
The 33 new homes on Pershore Road are a range of 2, 3 and 4-bed properties and will be available on a social rent basis. The council worked in partnership with Lovell and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which provided £1.76 millon of funding towards this development, to deliver homes on the site.
In total, the HCA has provided financial support of some £12 million to allow the council to deliver 230 new high quality affordable homes across a range of sites.
Paul Spooner, Regional Director for the Homes and Communities Agency West Midlands, said: “We have pledged to support Birmingham City Council’s aspirations to directly build more council homes, and so it is great to see the first residents move in and the development take shape. It is crucial that we continue to provide more high quality affordable homes, like at this development, to meet local demands and create thriving communities.”
David Gough, Lovell Regional Director, said: “We are delighted to be handing over the first completed property at Pershore Road and we hope that Ms Begum and her family will be very happy in their new home.”
“As a local company, we’re extremely proud to be working alongside Birmingham City Council and the HCA on this landmark project. All of the houses and flats at the development are being built to a high specification and they will help to address the urgent need for energy-efficient affordable homes in the region. All homes meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4.”
The formation of the council’s Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust in 2009 represented the most radical change in direction of council house building policy in a generation. Councillor John Lines made a pledge at the time to deliver 500 new homes, during the onset of the recession and at a time when councils were collectively only delivering 375 new homes across the country (2008).
As part of the council’s drive to address worklessness, apprenticeship opportunities in the construction industry have been available as part of the house building programme. Young people have developed new skills with on the job training.
Green Building Press
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Article source: http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/newsFullStory.asp?ID=2881
