Residents in east Hull have moved into brand new bungalows built by Hull City Council.
Shirley Bentley and Betty Cross were welcomed to their new homes in Drayton Close by Councillor John Black, portfolio holder for housing at Hull City Council.
The handing over of the keys marked the completion of the first phase of the council’s Small Sites Housing Programme.
Councillor Black said: “Today is a significant milestone as we are completing the first phase of our small sites programme. The council took a bold decision in deciding to build two-bedroom bungalows.
“By listening to residents, we realised that even though they were downsizing, they need a spare bedroom for family, friends, or even a carer to stay over. Working with our developer partners, these new homes have been attractively designed and built to an accessible, energy efficient specification and are popular with residents. Furthermore, residents moving into these bungalows free up much needed family sized homes in the area.”
The first phase of the programme has seen 39 modern dormer bungalows built by local contractors Houlton’s, Hobson & Porter, S Voase and Esh Construction on ten sites in east Hull. The developments were supported by the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP) through its Local Growth Fund
The bungalows are designed to a high-quality specification and exceed the current space standard, which offers better accessibility and with scope for adaptations. Each home has a bedroom, bathroom, open plan kitchen and living room on the ground floor, with a second bedroom and a WC located upstairs. They also have their own rear garden and parking space.
They all have a lockable shed too, which is ideal for storing bikes and gardening tools. Furthermore, the homes are designed with a ‘fabric first’ approach which means that the thermal performance exceeds that of current building regulations. This energy efficient design will help reduce carbon emissions and contribute to lower energy bills.
Mrs Shirley Bentley, who moved to Drayton Close, said: “I am overjoyed with the move. My walking hasn’t been too good lately and moving to a bungalow will be a game changer for me with wider doorways and generally being able to get about the home easily.”
Her neighbour, Mrs Betty Cross added: “I’ve lived around here for 50 years so being able to move locally means I have friends and family living nearby and I know the area well.”
The council has operated a local lettings policy for the new bungalows. This gives priority to current council tenants living in the same ward, aged 60+ or people who have a medical condition which requires ground floor accommodation.
A feasibility study is already underway for the second phase of the Small Sites Programme and construction work is expected to start in 2022.
James Newman Chair of HEY LEP said: “We are very pleased to be involved with this scheme through our Local Growth Fund. Developing these small sites brings tremendous benefits to neighbourhoods. These bungalows suit the needs of older and more vulnerable residents and, because they are built on small sites, they help the local economy by offering opportunities for small, local builders and their supply chain businesses to take on the construction work.”
The Small Sites Programme is part of the council’s ambitious, city-wide house building initiative. New council homes are currently under construction on Preston Road and Grange Road, with more in the pipeline. These modern, new homes, offer a wider choice to residents and help meet the target for new and affordable homes, as identified in the Local Plan and the council’s Housing Growth Plan.
