Decent Homes tour of the Borough 2010
On a bitterly cold morning on 16th November 2010 Frank Berry, Chair of SFTRA, and I, Karen Price Communications, Marketing and Support Worker for SFTRA went on a tour of the Borough to look at the achievements which have been made by SHP with the money allocated for the 'Decent Homes' project, and the goals SHP are still hoping to reach should the funding promised actually be delivered. 

We started on the St Helier Estate, where we watched a box bathroom being installed! The box bathroom is designed to renew 750 bathroom pods installed during the 1960's and 1970's,(I remember this operation taking place in my family home!) so far approximately 50 new box bathrooms have been installed on the St Helier Estate.  An existing pod can be removed and a new pod installed within 4 hours! 

       

We then went on to Denmark Gardens in Carshalton which was a pilot example of a full Decent Homes project.   New kitchens,bathrooms, and windows had been installed, along with digital aerials and a considerable amount of communal decoration.  On to Olveston Walk, Bedlow Close Sheltered Housing where new kitchens and bathroooms have been installed,we stopped for a cuppa to warm up!
                                                                                                   
On to Radcliffe Gardens in Carshalton Beeches where the decent homes project was launched to renew the roof coverings, and carry out extensive concrete repairs, balcony repairs and walkway railing improvements, including internal and external communal decorations and improvements.  Local residents at Radcliife Gardens really take pride in their area and residents work hard to upkeep the communal gardens and even grow their own vegetables.

Shanklin Village was our next stop which has been part of a borough-wide £3 million project run over 2 years and is now 95% complete, including walkways and railings window replacement, gas mains renewal, and private gas metering, digital aerial systems have also been installed.

We went on to visit some other sites that demonstrate some of the challenges of the decent homes requirements.  These were Chaucer Gardens, where full external and internal common area refurbishment is required,Balaam House on the Collingwood Estate where the timber on windows is in very poor condition, resulting in  a very poor thermal performance. Security is a big issue at Balaam House and needs addressing.

Finally the Benhill Estate where only 30% of the external refurbishment has been addressed. 

A full programme will deliver best value, however this is only possible on Decent Homes funding of between £7.5 and £8 billion!