As part of our planned programme of maintenance, we intend installing new kitchens and bathrooms in over 100 homes a year. Modernising kitchens and bathrooms forms a key element of the Council's plans to deliver local and national housing standards by 2010 and was also identified during a recent consultation exercise with tenants as their main priority for housing improvement.
Tenants will be able to remain in their own homes during the works, the broad scope of which, dependent on individual properties' needs, will include:
Properties included in the programme are prioritised, based on the age of the existing kitchens and bathrooms and their condition. Although we have a considerable amount of information about the condition of our homes, we conduct individual surveys to assess the current condition and arrangement of kitchen and bathroom and to establish the extent of the work required to install the new fittings.
This assessment could result in both the kitchen and bathroom in a property being modernised, or possibly one of these rooms, or perhaps neither. In some cases, other work associated with the Decent Home standard may be done, such as providing new central heating, improving thermal insulation, electrical re-wiring etc.
Prior to being surveyed, tenants will receive a short questionnaire to establish whether they want to be included in the programme. If they do, they will be visited by a Council surveyor to discuss all aspects of the work, their choices and their preferred layout.
Please go to page 2 to view the choices available for kitchens.
