£20m refurbishment planned for Oldbury flat buildings
More than £20 million is to be spent refurbishing low-rise flat buildings in a Black Country town.
The refurbishment of Darley House, Alston House, Radnall House, Birchley House, Century House and Selby House, in Wallace Close, Oldbury has been approved by Sandwell Council's cabinet.
Darley House has 19 storeys while the other buildings are between two and three-floors high.
In the meeting, it was revealed the contract will be awarded to Lovell Partnerships Limited at a cost of £20,531,855.
Work is set to commence on the refurbishments for a period of 34 months, from January 2022 to November 2024.
Renovations include a new pitched roof to Darley House, new entrance porches, replacement windows, replacement front doors and balcony doors, fire precaution works, rainscreen cladding, mechanical and electrical services and the installations of hard and soft landscaping.
Heat pumps are also expected to be part of the refurbishments, in line with the council’s climate strategy.
It is hoped the renovations will provide an additional three new flats within Darley House.
In the cabinet meeting, Councillor Bob Piper commented that the heat pumps were a positive step forward.
He said: “The heat pumps are a really positive measure given the discussions that we see took place in Glasgow.
“I’m also pleased to see the social value statements, which is right at the end of the report, that shows 100 per cent of the Lovell Partnerships Limited workforce live within 25 miles of the office, and on their current Sandwell contracts, and 45 per cent within the borough of Sandwell.”
Councillor Zahoor Ahmed, the cabinet member for housing, also said it was “good news for residents” that new sprinklers were being installed.
The report was unanimously approved by the cabinet.
