£9 million to be spent on sheltered housing schemes in Dudley

Dudley Council has secured £4.8 million from Homes England to help renovate Woodhouse Court, in Quarry Bank, and Jack Newell Court, in Coseley.

The authority will also invest £3.95m in the project, funded through the Housing Revenue Account capital programme.

The council said both properties will be transformed with money spent on rewiring, heating upgrades, lighting improvements, new lifts and fire alarm system upgrades.

The internal layout of all the flats will also be improved, with each flat having its own shower facilities and some flats will have balconies added. The communal kitchens will be enlarged, the communal lounge redesigned and a wellbeing room included. There are also plans to redesign the gardens to make them more user friendly for residents.

The council will also be able to convert redundant space within the two schemes to create another seven apartments at Woodhouse Court and six at Jack Newell Court, providing much needed new housing for older people in the borough.

Due to the scale of the work involved, tenants will be asked to temporarily move out of their homes into alternative accommodation that best meets their needs. Officers are working closely with them to discuss how this will be managed and will fully support them throughout the process.

Councillor Laura Taylor, Dudley Council's cabinet member for housing, communities and residents' welfare, said: "We are really pleased to have secured funding from Homes England and begin the next phase in our ambition to transform sheltered housing in Dudley borough.

"Woodhouse and Jack Newell Courts have more than served their purpose over many years but are now at a point where they are calling out to be redeveloped to bring them in line with modern standards and to improve living conditions for our tenants.

"We are completely focused on achieving what is best for them and although there will be some upheaval during the renovation works, we strongly believe it will be worth it in the end.

"With the co-operation of tenants, it will mean contractors can get in and get on with the work much quicker. We took a similar approach when redeveloping Margaret Vine and Holloway Court and it proved successful.

"We will be working closely with tenants every step of the way to ensure they are fully informed and supportive of the project."

It follows the redevelopment of Margaret Vine and Holloway Court sheltered housing schemes.