Rooftop Housing Group has applied to the Homes And Communities Agency (HCA) for a grant of nearly £5 million to help replace many of the old pre-cast concrete homes on Peewit Road, Martin Avenue and Bredon Crescent in the Hampton area of Evesham.
Rooftop wants to provide brand new, modern, warm homes and for many years has been trying to get this multi-million pound scheme off the ground, but finding the money has been hard. Residents know that over the years there have been setbacks and delays. But this year, and despite the recession, Rooftop, working with Bellway Homes, may have found millions of pounds to spend on regenerating the area.
The grant application to the HCA was submitted in November and a planning application submitted to Wychavon District Council in December. At the time of writing, we are waiting for the decision on our planning application, but we are hopeful of obtaining permission. If the bid is successful there will be money to build more new homes for local people on nearby land. If we get the green light to go ahead work could very quickly with the first families moving in to their brand new homes by the end of 2010.
“This is great news,” says David Hannon, Rooftop’s Development Director. “We know local residents have had to put up with homes that are hard to heat and maintain for far too long. New modern homes are long overdue.”
In anticipation of a positive outcome we began consulting with the affected residents about our plans. We held an open afternoon in December where residents came along to find out first hand about the redevelopment scheme. At a second afternoon in February residents were invited to view the up-to-date plans, life-size room layouts and 3D models. As well as this, all the residents have been offered the opportunity of having someone come to their homes to talk face-to-face about the issues involved and to address any concerns they may have.
Even if the plan goes ahead, nobody’s home will be demolished until they have been given a new one. Consultation is continuing and we will provide more feedback as and when the scheme progresses.
Rooftop Housing Group has three main objectives. Our Objective Two commits us to:
Community needs: Working with partners, we will contribute toward the creation of cohesive and inclusive communities; developing new build and refurbishment schemes that respond to housing needs identified by national and regional strategies that are environmentally sustainable.
