Housing Monthly Diary Archive

Buildings & Improvements

Return To The HMD Archive Index

January 1998
Cavity Wall Tie Research

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions confirmed that it was to commission a programme of field survey checks of the condition of galvanised steel wire wall ties, following preliminary research by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). In answer to a Parliamentary Question, Energy Efficiency Minister Angela Eagle outlined the findings of the BRE's research:

• Accelerated corrosion has occurred to galvanised steel wire wall ties which have been coated with a green identification film, when embedded in moist urea formaldehyde foam cavity insulation.

• There was visual evidence of corrosion of grey (without the green film) galvanised steel wire wall ties embedded in moist cavity fill insulation, but the measurement of loss of zinc was too small to be significant.

• No significant corrosion was found in either form of galvanised steel wire wall tie embedded in moist blown mineral wool or mineral wool batt cavity insulation.

• There was some visual evidence of corrosion on both types of galvanised steel wire ties at the gap which occurs between the masonry and all three types of wet insulation.

• Stainless steel wire wall ties showed no signs of corrosion, irrespective of the cavity fill material and exposure.

• The Minister stressed that there was no conclusive evidence of a safety risk and that further research would be a prudent precautionary measure. The field study was to be extended as necessary to examine the performance of galvanised wire wall ties in other forms of cavity fill.

January 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• Birmingham MDC took the decision to demolish 5 tower blocks on its Highgate Estate, which suffered from severe damp penetration and ground floor flooding from rising ground water. The cost to carry out refurbishment works would have been £15 million, equating to £90,000 per flat.

• Calderdale DC was able to progress the delayed final stage of a £3.5 million improvement scheme on its Banksfield Estate, with funding secured from released Capital Receipts. The stage programme included refurbishment works to 17 homes and other works to a further 58 dwellings.

• Hammersmith and Fulham LBC gained nomination rights to 64 new homes built by the Thames by contractor United House. The £6 million scheme is managed by housing associations Network, Arhag and John Grooms.

• James Butcher HA agreed to convert a Grade II derelict hospital in Pewsey (Wiltshire) into 13 homes for rent. The scheme also included erecting 7 new properties, of which 4 are lifetime homes.

• Southern Housing Group was appointed to work in partnership with Countryside in Partnership in demolishing 415 flats on Islington LBC's Marquess Estate and building in their place 324 new homes for rent, sale and shared ownership. In addition to the £21 million redevelopment scheme, the Council announced its plans to refurbish the remaining 845 homes on the Estate.

Scotland

• Funding of £25 million from Scottish Homes was matched by private sector investment in a 3-year project for the building or refurbishment of 550 homes in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

• Housing associations and private developers were invited to be involved in projects focused in key areas, including Inverness, Lochaber, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles. The Rural Home Ownership Grant scheme has been financing improvements to about 25% of the homes.

January 1998
Building News Update

• Junior Environment Minister Nick Raynsford laid a new Bill before Parliament, which introduced measures providing for adjudication and fair payment when a contract falls foul of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

• The Civic Trust put forward proposals for a tax on greenfield developments, aimed at encouraging developers towards brownfield site redevelopment. The cost of reclaiming brownfield sites was likely to act as a continuing factor influencing developers to press for release of rural development sites. The suggestion of a levy came at a time of increased interest and debate over the possible use of greenfield sites, fuelled by speculation that the Government was about to confirm the rumour that the number of new homes forecast as needed over the next 20 years had been increased from 4.4 million to 5.5 million.

February 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• More than 100 new family homes were created by the purchase of nearly 50 former MoD homes from Annington Homes as part of a partnership scheme between Barnet LBC and Notting Hill HT.

• The official opening took place of Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association's Blair Court, which is part of a £10 million partnership to regenerate Durham mining villages.

• Housing Minister Hilary Armstrong officially renamed the Marquess Estate in Islington. The estate is now known as New River Green, reflecting its new image as part of a £21 million re-modelling scheme.

Scotland

• Thenew HA started work on a £4 million development of 110 new homes for rent in the Blackhill area of Glasgow.

March 1998
Better Access for Disabled Residents

Construction Minister Nick Raynsford announced that Part M of the Building Regulations, covering access and facilities for disabled people, was to be extended to include new dwellings.

It was estimated that more than 10 million people would benefit from the changes. In particular, there would be direct benefits of increased convenience, accessibility and sociability for disabled people. The measure would also help significantly those people temporarily disabled through accident or injury, the elderly and those with young children in prams or pushchairs.

The extension of Part M would ensure that new homes are designed and built with proper facilities to allow disabled access to domestic dwellings, as already happens with new public and commercial buildings. The measures to be included in the Approved Document cover:

• Level entry to the principal, or a suitable alternative, entrance.

• An entrance door wide enough to allow wheelchair access.

• WC provision on the entrance or first habitable storey.

• Adequate circulation and wider doors within the entrance storey.

• Switches and socket outlets at appropriate heights from floor level.

• Level, or gently sloping, approaches from the car parking space to the dwelling or, where this is not possible, easy-going steps (but not a stepped ramp).

• Where a lift is to be provided in flats, a minimum lift capacity and dimension will be recommended.

• Where a lift is not provided, the common stairs are to be designed to suit the needs of the ambulant disabled.

A new Approved Document was to be prepared in readiness for publication at the same time, setting out ways in which the requirements of the Regulations can be met. The Approved Document would also suggest circumstances where certain of the measures may not be appropriate.

To allow adequate time for guidance to be developed in support of the proposals and for building workers to become trained in the new techniques that will be necessary, it was proposed that the amended Regulations would come into force one year after being laid.

March 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• Chichester Diocesan HA funded a £2 million development to convert the old Marlborough Hotel in Hastings into sheltered accommodation.

• Forest of Dean DC nominees were due to be housed in 20 new homes that had been completed in Newent, in a Cheltenham and District HA scheme costing £750,000.

• North British HA completed the refurbishment of the 24-storey Lewey House in Tower Hamlets. The 92 flats, which had been empty for more than five years, were completely refurbished and all flats and common areas are now accessible to wheelchair users. The scheme cost was in excess of £3 million.

• A partnership scheme between Notting Hill HT and Hammersmith and Fulham LBC saw a former refuse disposal site being transformed into 25 new homes. The scheme, which has excellent views of the Thames, cost £2.8 million.

• Outline planning permission was obtained to demolish up to 170 flats in the three blocks that constitute Westminster LBC's Mozart Estate, and replace them with street-level housing. Tenants on the estate were to be given the option of transferring to Acton HA. Demolition was due to start in September 1998 with completion of new homes scheduled for late 1999.

Scotland

• A £1 million scheme by Hjaltland HA was officially opened, providing 15 new homes on the tiny island of Whalsay, off mainland Shetland.

April 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• A joint project between the Housing Corporation, Restormel DC and Devon and Cornwall HA was completed, providing 9 new homes from the conversion a former primary school at a cost of £527,000.

• Hyde HA completed the conversion of a former hospital administration block in South London to provide 20 new flats, whilst retaining the original Victorian features of the building.

• Look Ahead HA's new development in East London provided 17 one-bedroom flats for occupation by older single people with a history of street homelessness. The site also included a community centre, church and cafe.

• Orbit HA unveiled its £600,000 development in Bury St Edmunds, providing a shared home for 4 residents with physical and sensory disabilities, as well as 4 flats for single people and 2 houses for shared ownership.

Orbit HA also opened its new social housing development of 16 houses in Mendlesham. The site formed part of a larger development by the developers, Metfield Estates.

• The Peabody Trust built 30 new flats in Hackney, using pioneering prefab techniques. The scheme used a mass-produced building method known as volumetric construction, which involved factory-assembled steel-stressed living spaces being transported to the site and assembled.

• A £1 million Thames Valley HA scheme in Farnham saw a Victorian house and adjacent land converted into 13 flats, for occupation by young people involved in building them.

• The demolition of Waltham Forest LBC's 20-storey John Drinkwater Tower provided the site for 30 new homes to be built in partnership with Circle 33 HA and Asra HA.

May 1998
New & Completed Schemes

Scotland

• Kingdom HA agreed to develop 19 new homes above a butcher's shop in Dunfermline, with a £700,000 scheme to upgrade existing flats. Scottish Homes provided £418,000 towards the scheme costs.

• With a Scottish Homes investment of £2.3 million towards the total scheme costs of £4 million, 67 new homes were developed on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, close to the site for the new Scottish parliament. The scheme is one of the largest of its kind in the centre of Edinburgh and it was jointly developed by Edinvar HA, Link HA, Haven HA and Link Homes. Private finance in excess of £1.6 million from the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland went towards the project. It is adjacent to a new day centre for homeless people, which was developed by the Edinburgh Council for Single Homeless, with backing from the former Lothian Regional Council, the City of Edinburgh Council and LEEL.

• Slough DC and Ealing Family HA announced details of a joint project to provide 8 one-bedroom homes in derelict space above a video store in Slough High Street.

• St Pancras HA opened its 42-home development in North London, built on the site of a former printing works.

The Channel Islands

• The State of Jersey developed a 78-home scheme, due to be completed later in the year, on the site of a former tea-packing factory, at a total cost of £6 million.

June 1998
New Housing Fitness Standard Promised

The Government announced that a new fitness rating is to be developed to replace the current housing fitness standard, which was introduced in 1990 as a result of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Under current arrangements, a house is unfit for habitation if it fails one of the fitness requirements and because of that is not suitable for occupation. Such requirements include being structurally sound, having adequate lighting, heating and ventilation, being free from dampness which could cause health problems to occupants and being free from serious disrepair.

Development work on the new fitness rating is to be finalised by July 1999, with legislation put in place as soon as possible after that. The proposed new system will give an overall rating to a property, based on an assessment of a range of housing characteristics, rather than the current pass or fail on one or more requirements. It will aim to surpass the current standard by encompassing all important health and safety risks in the home and also by distinguishing between those risks.

June 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• Bourneville Village Trust announced its intention to build 33 new social homes next year at Bloomsbury village in Birmingham, following securing further development funding.

• Croydon Council consulted the 100 tenants and leaseholders on its Handycroft Road Estate on the options of demolition or refurbishment of their homes. Nearly three quarters of those responding voted in favour of refurbishment and a programme of works will now run until the year 2000.

• Lovell Partnerships was selected by Hackney LBC as development partner for its £3.6 million scheme on the Trowbridge Estate, which includes 250 new homes for low-cost ownership and sale on the open market.

Scotland

• The Defence Housing Executive awarded a £34 Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract to the Covesea Group, to build nearly 280 houses at RAF Lossiemouth (Morayshire).

• Work started on a £1.6 million scheme in Strathaven, with 28 new homes being provided by West of Scotland HA. The scheme was supported by a £1 million grant from Scottish Homes.

• A joint Ardenglan HA and Tay Homes scheme starts in June with the building of 50 new homes in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow, with a Scottish Homes grant of 50% of the £3 million overall costs.

July 1998
Access Transitional Arrangements

The Government published a consultation paper detailing transitional arrangements for the Building Regulations amendments announced in March, extending access requirements to new houses from October 1999. These arrangements give effect to the Government's commitment to expand Part M of the Building Regulations (covering issues of access for disabled people) to housing. They also close a loophole, under which it was suggested that some house builders might seek to evade these provisions.

The consultation paper proposed that the transitional provisions should ensure that new buildings - where construction work starts on or after the coming into force date of the Regulations - would, in general, be subject to the new Part M requirements. However, new buildings begun after the coming into force date in accordance with full plans deposited with a local authority at least two months before that date, or in accordance with plans covered by an approved Inspector's plans certificate accepted by a local authority before the coming into force date, would not have to comply with the new requirements.

The intention was to introduce transitional provisions which distinguish between cases where detailed design work had been completed and submitted to the relevant building control body before the coming into effect of the Regulations, and other cases. This prevents developers from giving premature building control notices simply in order to gain exemption from the new requirement for houses that had not been designed and could not be built until long after the coming into force date.

Copies of the consultation paper may be obtained from DETR: Tel. 0171 890 5755.

July 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• Hackney LBC demolished its high rise block, Farnell Point on the Hackney Downs Estate, where in its place 50 new homes are to be built.

Scotland

• Eildon HA completed its £1.7 million 30-home new development in the village of Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders.

• Muirneag HA completed a £1.1 million development on the Isle of Lewis, providing 18 homes for rent on a former hospital site. Scottish Homes provided a grant of £950,000 towards the project.

July 1998
Building News in Brief

• The Construction Task Force, which was established by the Deputy Prime Minister in October 1997 to advise on the scope for improving quality and efficiency in UK construction, published its report - Rethinking Construction.

One of the early responses of the Government to the report's recommendations was to announce the intention to establish of a Housing Forum of leading housing associations, local authorities, the Housing Corporation and housebuilders to improve the quality, efficiency and value for money in social and private sector housebuilding.

• Minister for Construction Nick Raynsford announced that local authorities in England and Wales were to set their own charges for Building Regulations control functions. The objective was to introduce sufficient flexibility to allow charges to be based on local costs. It was envisaged that greater competition would result, with local authorities being better placed to compete with the private sector Approved Inspectors.

• Details were released of a new working group, which would consider the responses received to the Government's consultation paper - Combating Cowboy Builders - and take forward its key proposals, being:

• the development of approved lists of reputable contractors; and

• the introduction of a quality kitemark system.

August 1998
New and Completed Schemes

England

• In a scheme jointly funded by Hastings BC, 1066 HA started work on its first new home development, which would provide three 5-bedroomed and one 3-bedroomed homes in St Leonards.

• Derwent HA completed the conversion of a former furniture store in Nottingham into 42 high quality flats. The £2 million scheme, which received a £650,000 grant from English Partnerships, won the Nottingham Civic Society design award.

• Islington LBC progressed the latest phase of its £51 million regeneration project at New River Green, which is the new name for its Marquess Estate. Major demolition works made way for more than 300 new homes.

• Work started on a new 41-home scheme in Birkenhead, developed by Pierhead HA as part of an initiative to repopulate the centre of the town.

• A Grade II listed hospital in Kidderminster, which closed in 1995, was converted into 42 flats for rent by Waterloo HA. The £2 million scheme also included fifteen 2- and 3-bedroomed shared ownership homes.

• A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project saw Western Challenge HA develop 88 new homes for the Navy in Ilchester. The 30-year agreement allowed the MoD to hand back 10% of the houses to the Association after 10 years and 10% more every year after that. Homes handed back to the Association are due either to be resold, rented privately or used as social housing. When completed, Western Challenge was to receive an annual fee from the MoD of £900,000 to cover development costs and a management and maintenance service of the buildings.

Scotland

• A key site on Rothesay's seafront was due to be redeveloped to provide affordable new homes for local people, as well as a mix of retail and commercial premises. The public and private sector partnership - Bute Beyond 2000 - appointed consultants to take forward the major redevelopment proposals. Scottish Homes, one of the partners in Bute Beyond 2000, announced plans to invest approximately £750,000 in the project to help provide around 25 high quality affordable homes for a mixture of outright sale and shared ownership. Argyll and Bute Council, another of the partners, was to invest £800,000 in the purchase of the 7 dilapidated tenements currently occupying the land, to offer the whole site at no cost to potential developers.

• Castle Rock HA was due to manage 100 homes being used to house homeless families, as a result of a deal between Edinburgh Council and a local private developer. Edinburgh Council agreed to give land worth £2.5 million to the private contractor - Hart Estates - who are building in total 250 homes.

• A £1.4 million housing development, in which every home is suitable for wheelchair users, was officially opened by Professor Duncan Maclennan - a Board member of Scottish Homes. The 25-house project by Elderpark HA was supported with a £1 million grant from Scottish Homes. Fifteen of the flats are for rent and the other ten are for shared ownership. The homes for shared ownership were being targeted mainly at people in the over-50 age group. All of the homes were designed to barrier-free standards, which means that all of the floors are built on a level access, the doors are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and light switches/sockets are set at an accessible level for wheelchair users. The rented flats all have a community alarm system and a secure entry system.

• Work was in progress on a £1.4 million development to convert part of an empty hospital in Govanhill, Glasgow into supported accommodation for 15 homeless young people. The Govanhill HA project received £960,000 from the DSS and a further £374,000 from Scottish Homes. The balance of the costs were being met by the Association.

• Kingdom HA's £1.2 million development at Belfield House in Cupar, Fife, was officially opened. The project, which attracted a grant of £680,000 from Scottish Homes, involved the conversion of the run-down mansion and its gatehouse into 7 flats and a house for sale. The Association created a further 14 new homes for rent - a mix of flats and houses - in the grounds.

• A new housing development, featuring illuminated artwork and a landmark clock tower, was officially opened by Scottish Housing Minister, Calum MacDonald. The £2.4 million project in Glasgow's Glendore Street in the centre of Whiteinch provides 41 homes for local people, including accommodation for people with learning difficulties and special needs. The development, by Whiteinch and Scotstoun HA, received a £1.7 million grant from Scottish Homes. It includes 23 homes for rent, two of which are suitable for people who use wheelchairs, and nine for shared ownership. The other nine homes are leased to Loretto HA for occupation by people with learning difficulties.

September 1998
New & Completed Schemes

England

• A co-operative style self-build project commenced on a Leytonstone site after demolition of two blocks of 1960s flats. The site supports 7 new 3-bedroom homes, constructed by self-builders pooling their skills to the benefit of all. The project was drawn together by Boleyn and Forest HS and each self-builder contributed an initial £100 to ensure a 25% stake in their new home. The homes are then rented from the Society on a shared ownership basis, with the option to buy further shares in the future.

• Orbit HA built 17 new homes on a derelict site in Brighton's town centre.

Scotland

• The official opening took place of a £4 million project in Peebles, which with funding of £2.3 million from Scottish Homes produced 78 new homes for rent and sale. The Kingsland Square development includes 56 homes for rent from Eildon HA, with some of them specially designed for elderly people and wheelchair users. It also provides 10 homes for sale through a shared ownership scheme to be operated by the Association.

• Sanctuary Scotland, a subsidiary of Sanctuary HA, gained a firm foothold North of the Border with its involvement in the first phase of an £80 million 7-year scheme to redevelop the Ardler Estate in Dundee. The programme included the demolition of a large part of the estate to make way for 640 plus new homes for rent. Refurbishment works were planned for a further 209 low rise maisonettes. Developers Wimpey Homes were due to build 450 new houses for sale on the site. A tenants' ballot was to be held in 1999 on proposals to transfer the 1,800 homes at Ardler from Dundee Council to the Association.

• The launch took place of the Waterfront Edinburgh Initiative, which is to see £450 million invested in revitalising an area of Granton. The initiative included a £12 million investment in social housing, supporting up to 750 new housing association homes for rent or shared ownership. The programme also included refurbishment of some 300 council homes and up to 3,000 homes being built for private sale.

Wales

• Consultation started with residents on the Lewistown Estate in Bridgend to decide interior design features of new homes, being built after the demolition of 177 maisonettes - which were built to an award winning design in the 1960s. The £5.3 million initiative is the responsibility of the Lewistown Partnership - comprising Bridgend CBC, Glamorgan and Gwent HA and Bellway Homes.

October 1998
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Family HA completed its 24-home development in Morden, to house older tenants who are currently under-occupying council homes (Merton LBC).

• A partnership scheme agreed by Gloucester Council, Oxbode HA and Beazer Partnership Homes saw 155 new homes developed. Linked to the New Deal initiative, the scheme generated work for about 30 young trainees in the construction industry.

• A partnership between Orbit HA and Brighton Council saw a former civil defence building demolished and 17 new homes developed on the site. The late 50s building had been derelict for the past five years. Two of the homes, being built on a conservation area in Brighton's town centre, were designed for wheelchair users.

• Thames Valley HA completed the conversion of four Grade II listed derelict buildings in Reading into 18 new flats for rent. Other partners to the £850,000 scheme were Reading Council and Co-op Homes.

• Following a public inquiry, plans to redevelop a riverside site at Point Pleasant in Wandsworth for residential and commercial use were turned down by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The proposed redevelopment would have involved the construction of a 17-storey tower and other buildings 3 to 8 storeys high, to provide 450 flats on a 4 hectare derelict site, which was previously used as an oil terminal.

• Thirty new homes, all designed to mobility standards, now stand on the site of a former paint factory. The Western Challenge HA scheme, on the edge of Southampton CC's regeneration area, was developed at a cost of £1.4 million.

October 1998
Better Access for New Homes

The Government published Amended Regulations that extend Part M of the Building Regulations, covering access and facilities for disabled people, to include new dwellings. With effect from 25th October 1999, new homes have to be built with features that make them better suited to the needs of disabled people.

The Amended Regulations:

• extend the scope of Part M to new dwellings from 25th October 1999, and

• contain a new requirement specifically in relation to sanitary conveniences in new dwellings.

Transitional arrangements provide for building in process at the time of introducing the Regulations (25th October 1998) and, in some circumstance, those started after that date. The Government estimated that the changes would potentially benefit more than 10 million people. In particular, there would be direct benefits of increased convenience, accessibility and sociability for disabled people. The measures would also help those temporarily disabled through accident or injury, as well as families with young children in prams and pushchairs.

The Building Regulations (Amendment Regulations) 1998 (SI 1998, No. 2561).

November 1998
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Two of the three consortium bids to develop the second millennium village at Allerton Bywater in West Yorkshire included housing associations. Home HA is part of a consortium led by the German architect company, Daniel Liebeskind. The Bellway urban renewal bid included North British HA as one of its partners. Barratt Homes, which does not have housing association involvement, led the other bid. The winning bid was due to be selected early in 1999, with work to start later that year.

Scotland

• Hanover (Scotland) HA officially opened its 29 homes for older people in Stewarton, East Ayrshire. The sheltered housing complex was the result of conversion of a derelict factory site at the cost of £1.6 million, of which £1.1 million came from a Scottish Homes' grant.

December 1998
Building Control Charging to be Devolved

New Regulations enabling local authorities in England and Wales to set their own Building Control charges were announced by Nick Raynsford, Minister for Construction.

Previously, local authorities in England and Wales with building control functions were required to charge fees for the carrying out of specific building control functions under the Building Regulations 1991. These were charged under the Building (Prescribed Fees) Regulations 1994, which contain schedules of fees centrally fixed by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

From 1 April 1999, the new Regulations empower local authorities to set their own individual charges, based on the cost of the service. This allows all authorities involved to benefit from their cost savings and to compete more effectively with building control services provided by private sector Approved Inspectors.

Reference: The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998.

December 1998
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Planning permission was granted for two prototype homes designed by PRP Architects for East Thames Housing Group, which include water recycling facilities from basins, baths and showers, to use for flushing toilets, watering the garden and car-washing. It is thought that the homes, to be built in Forest Gate, East London, could demonstrate water-consumption savings of up to 40% on what would be expected in traditionally built homes of the same size.
• The formal opening took place of Surrey Heath HA's latest development at Bain Avenue, providing six new 2-bedroom flats at a total cost of £314,000.
• Waterloo HA is to produce new homes on a site to be made available following the demolition of unpopular maisonettes in Birmingham. The City Council has 50% nomination rights to the new homes.

Northern Ireland

• The Northern Ireland Housing Executive granted a contract to Belfast-based BIH HA to build more than 230 homes in the Province. The Association is to commence works on existing redevelopment schemes in Belfast and the Mid-Falls area in the autumn. As part of the deal, a pledge was given to contain rent increases to RPI plus 1% for a period of 5 years.

Scotland

• Scottish Homes announced the start of work on a £7 million project that will see 100 new homes built in Ruchazie in Glasgow's Easterhouse. The homes are being built by Ruchazie HA, with a £5 million grant towards the costs from Scottish Homes.

January 1999
New & Completed Schemes

• Work started on 20 new energy efficient homes near Inverness being developed by Albyn HS, at a cost of £1 million.

• Tower Hamlets LBC announced plans to tender for the development of three 40-unit sheltered housing projects, to join the scheme already under development for the Council by a partnership that includes Shaftesbury HA and the Coopers Company.

• Derwent HA is providing 90 new apartments and 26 houses near the centre of Leicester. The £6.5 million scheme on a former industrial site also provides 15 six-bedroom student houses.

• Edinburgh Council submitted a bid for £50 million new partnership funding. If successful, the Council hoped to attract an additional £65 million in private investment to fund 600 new homes.

• Hackney LBC gave Lovell Partnerships the go-ahead to start work on a new £15 million scheme to build 220 homes at Hackney Wick in East London. The sale of the site was expected to generate sufficient funding to finance a new community centre, play site, doctor's surgery and several shops.

• Acton HA has begun converting the former Wembley Police Station into 18 flats, at a cost of £1.2 million. The site had been used by the Association in partnership with the West London Initiative on Single Homelessness as a temporary shelter for homeless people.

February 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Work started on Britain's first factory-produced multi-storey housing. The Peabody Trust development at Murray Grove in Hackney uses prefabricated steel modules that are manufactured in a Yorkshire factory, using technology that is similar to modern car production. The modules are then transported, complete with fixtures and fittings, and assembled in a few days on the previously prepared foundations.

• The development is being funded from Peabody's existing reserves, supported by a Hackney regeneration programme. The Association is working with manufacturers Yorkon, who have considerable experience in developing prefabricated modular hotels and fast-food chain outlets.

Scotland

• Scottish Housing Minister, Calum MacDonald, visited Drumchapel in Glasgow to open the final part of a £10 million housing development. Working with Cernach Housing Co-operative, development partners Scottish Homes, the Glasgow Development Agency and Beazer Partnership Homes have redeveloped an area to create around 180 new homes in Kingsmore Gardens and neighbouring streets, as part of the ongoing redevelopment of Drumchapel. Scottish Homes has invested £6.6 million in the project. This final phase includes ten homes for rent and shared ownership, including two flats for people with special needs.

• A £3.2 million project to provide 58 affordable new homes for rent was due to begin in Edinburgh's Muirhouse. The project, by Muirhouse HA, is supported by a grant of £1.9 million from Scottish Homes. Run-down local authority housing in Muirhouse Drive and Pennywell Gardens has been demolished to make way for the new development, which will provide a balanced mix of flats and houses built around a series of courtyards and a terrace. The project includes homes for single people and families, eight new homes which have been specially designed for elderly people, and one adapted for a wheelchair user.

• A £900,000 scheme is turning part of the old High Tweed Mill in Galashiels into 21 new flats. Many of the new homes are targeted at young people, particularly those who are either vulnerable or homeless. In addition, there are flats for elderly people and couples. The development is being carried out by Melrose-based Eildon HA, with the bulk of the funding coming from the Government - £418,000 through its Empty Homes Initiative and a further £213,000 from Scottish Homes.

• New Gorbals HA's £3.4 million development in the Gorbals district of Glasgow is underway. The development provides 51 affordable new homes for rent in the district, with a completion date in October. The scheme is supported by a £2.8 million grant from Scottish Homes.

February 1999
Housing Quality Indicators

Construction Minister, Nick Raynsford, launched a new initiative to help raise the quality of newly developed homes - Housing Quality Indicators, which represent a new approach to quality assessment. Indicators allow designers to score housing schemes at project stage in every aspect of design, from internal and external layout and space standards to construction and energy efficiency. The ratings can then be checked after completion.

The new Indicators are initially being used to evaluate new, publicly funded housing schemes. The Housing Corporation has already recommended that they be used by all RSLs. Over the coming year, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) are to carry out a number of trials on new and existing stock - in both the public and private sectors, to assess the potential of the Indicators for use across the whole of the housing field.

The DETR have produced a report - Housing Quality Indicators - which contains instructions for the use of the incorporated score sheets, together with worked examples. It is available from DETR Publications Sales Centre, Unit 21 Goldthorpe Industrial Estate, Goldthorpe, Rotherham S63 9BL: £18.

A spreadsheet, which automatically calculates the scores for each Indicator and the final aggregate score, is available free on the Internet at: www.detr.gov.uk

March 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Paddington Churches HA started work on its new 100-home development in Carlton Vale (Brent), which is part of the South Kilburn regeneration programme.

• North British HA started work on 20 two and three-bedroomed homes for rent in Eaglescliffe, responding to the findings of a survey that indicated the need for more affordable rented accommodation in the area. The homes, which are being built by developers Barratt under a Section 106 agreement, were expected to be ready to let in June and July.

Scotland

• A £3.8 million housing project in Drumchapel, Glasgow, was officially opened by Scottish Secretary, Donald Dewar. The 62 homes in the Pinewood district were developed by Southdeen Housing Co-operative, with more than £3.2 million in grants from Scottish Homes. The development provides a mix of houses and flats for couples and families, and also includes 4 properties for people with special needs. All of the properties are for rent.

• Castlehill HA opened its 36-homes project, which was developed on the site of a former hospital in Aberdeen. The project attracted over £800,000 in grant from Scottish Homes.

• Hjaltland HA started work on a new £413,000 development, to provide six family homes for rent in Sandness, Shetland. The development has the support of a £273,000 Scottish Homes grant.

• Scottish Homes and the Western Isles Council signed an agreement which targets their joint priorities through the Western Isles. They plan to invest £18.5 million in housing across the Western Isles over the next 3 years, which will be boosted by an additional £7 million of private investments. The joint investment will help to improve 1,200 homes and adapt 400 homes for the elderly and disabled. It will also provide 87 affordable new homes for rent and sale and bring 21 empty homes back into use.

The agreement marked the start of a £1.2 million housing development in Stornoway, which with the aid of £942,000 from Scottish Homes will provide 80 new homes for rent by Muirneag HA. The homes are being built on the site of the former Lewis Hospital.

• The launch took place of a new £15 million partnership initiative to build 300 affordable homes on 15 sites in the Perth area. The partnership brings together Scottish Homes, Perthshire HA, Perth and Kinross Council, Stewart Milne Homes and Nationwide Housing.

• The site of the former railway station in Wormit in Fife is being transformed into a £1.6 million housing development by Kingdom HA, with more than £1 million in grants from Scottish Homes. The Association has already built 12 homes on the site and has started work on the second and final phase, providing a further 14 new houses for rent and shared ownership.

• Efforts to tackle the shortage of affordable, quality homes for people living in Oban received a boost with the announcement of two new housing developments for the area. A £1.8 million development at Dalintart features 28 homes for rent. A further 19 rented homes are planned for the former West Highland Hospital site at Polvinister Road. Scottish Homes is grant-funding both projects, which are being developed by Lorn and the Isles HA.

Wales

• The Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Michael, opened a new inner-city housing development on the old Splott Market site in Cardiff. The £1.8 million scheme is being developed by Cardiff Community HA, with £1 million being provided by the Welsh Office as Social Housing Grant. The scheme has seen 23 houses and 8 flats for rent built on the brownfield site, which was formerly used as a market.

March 1999
Funding for Home Improvement Agencies

The Government has made available an additional £487,000 to fund home improvement agencies, in addition to the increase in funding from £5.2 million to £6.1 million announced last year under the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Grants worth some £688,000 were awarded to 24 agencies for the first time, bringing the total number of agencies supported by the Government to 184 - at a cost of £6.59 million. Under the 3-year matched funding scheme, local authorities are required to give similar commitments of financial support.

Information Notes:

Home improvement agencies (HIAs) provide independent advice and help to assist elderly people, those with disabilities and people on low incomes to carry out repairs, improvements and adaptations to their properties. They are usually small bodies operated on a district-wide basis. HIAs are managed by a variety of organisations, often housing associations but also local authorities and independent bodies - such as Age Concern.

Government grant is channelled through local authorities, who are responsible for assessing the need for HIA services in their area and for bidding on behalf of agencies. There are over 200 HIAs operating in England.

March 1999
Building Regulations Updated Manual

An updated version of the Manual to the Building Regulations was published.

This second edition of the Manual is a comprehensive guide to the Building Regulations system and a valuable source of information. It is chiefly about the Building Regulations 1991, as amended and it includes:

• A description of the type of work to which the Regulations apply.

• An explanation of the two alternative systems of Building Control.

• Information on how the requirements of the Regulations can be met.

• Summaries of other relevant legislation.

• A list of supporting documents and related useful addresses.

The Manual to the Building Regulations is published by the Stationery Office (ISBN 0-11-753485-4). It is available from the Stationery Office, bookshops or from the Publications Centre, PO Box 276, London, SW8 5DT: Tel. 0171 873 9090. Price: £14.99.

Information Note:

The Manual describes the Building Control system in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems.

April 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• The Ministry of Defence signed an agreement for 125 new homes to be built by Riverside HA at RAF Cosford and a further 20 new homes at RAF Shawbury. Critics pointed to the 13,000 empty homes currently leased by the MoD but these are claimed to not be where the need is.

• A £16 million funding arrangement from the Royal Bank of Scotland is central to the innovative Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which also involves a partnership arrangement with the developers Mansells.

• Work progressed on a partnership scheme involving Hyde HA and Rochester upon Medway CC to build 17 new homes on the site of a former school in Hailing Village. The shell of the original building has been retained to keep the character of the village, with the rest of the building demolished to make way for the majority of the new homes. The scheme was due to complete in Summer 1999.

Scotland

• As the first stage of a programme to redevelop an eight-mile strip of wasteland on Edinburgh's waterfront, Scottish Homes appointed Wimpey Homes as the developer of a £16 million scheme to build 100 homes for rent for West Granton Housing Co-operative.

• Work scheduled to start in the Summer also sees Wimpey build 146 homes on the site for sale to local people and first-time buyers. New offices for the Co-operative are being provided as part of the scheme. This is the largest regeneration project undertaken in the East of Scotland and it is expected to generate up to 4,000 new jobs in the region. Scottish Homes will provide £6.3 million funding.

• Albyn Housing Society provides 23 new homes for rent and shared ownership in a £1 million scheme involving two sites at Inverness:

• At Diriebught Road, the Society started work on a £750,000 new-build project, which will provide 11 new one and two-bed homes for rent and 4 two-bed homes for shared ownership. Scottish Homes have committed over £445,000 to the project.

• In Miller Street, the Society has bought 8 energy-efficient new homes at a cost of £394,000, with the help of a Scottish Homes grant of £181,000. The one and two-bed homes are being made available for shared ownership and being targeted at first-time buyers and people currently on local waiting lists.

• New schemes by Lochalsh and Skye HA include

• Harrapool (near Broadford): 10 new affordable homes for rent in a £600,000 development, which feature high energy-efficiency ratings. The scheme is receiving £450,000 grant funding from Scottish Homes.

• Kyle of Lochalsh (near the Skye Bridge): 4 new affordable homes for rent in a £250,000 development, which includes a shop. Scottish Homes has committed £196,000 grant funding to the project.

• Balmacara (on the Kyle of Lochalsh): 6 new homes for rent and 6 homes for shared ownership in a £813,000 project, ranging in size from one to three-bed. Scottish Homes has committed £580,000 to the project.

May 1999
Takeover Bid for Lovell Partnerships

The specialist construction group Morgan Sindall announced plans to make a friendly takeover bid of £15 million for social housing developers Lovell Partnerships. The arrangement involved Morgan Sindall raising £8.3 million in a share offer and details were to be presented to shareholders of both companies during June.

May 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• The Island 2000 project, co-ordinated by South Wight HA, won a £40,000 training grant from the European Social Fund. The self-build project developed shared ownership homes in Sandown on the Isle of Wight.

• Suffolk Heritage HA started demolition of 52 homes in Brantham to make way for 67 new houses. The 1950s homes, which belonged to Babergh DC, suffered from long-term structural defects and poor insulation. The redevelopment scheme costs were around £3.5 million.

• The Peabody Trust has sought planning permission from Sutton LBC to convert a disused sewage works into a 100-home model of sustainable development, providing a mix of homes for rent and for sale.

• Kingfisher HA demolished 8 aluminium constructed bungalows and 10 precast reinforced concrete houses in Firsway, Hampshire. The 1948 homes were demolished to make way for 50 new bungalows being built for the Association by Lovell Partnerships at a cost of £2.8 million.

• Irish premier, Bertie Ahern, opened 12 new flats in Leicester, built for Leicester Family HA. The homes, which were the first to be developed for Irish elders in the area, are managed by specialists Cara Irish HA.

Scotland

• A new £3.9 million development of 61 homes in Paisley, providing a mix of mainstream housing and accommodation for the homeless, was given the go-ahead. A £2.9 million grant from Scottish Homes, Loretto and Williamsburgh HAs and Tarmac Construction Housing is being used to transform the disused site at Wallace Street into new affordable family homes and homeless accommodation. The project was linked to the closure of a hostel facility for the homeless, currently located within Middle Church in Paisley town centre. The project features 23 homes for rent through Williamsburgh HA and 38 by Loretto HA, 21 of which provide integrated accommodation for homeless men and women.

June 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Metropolitan Home Ownership completed its £2 million regeneration of Highcross School in Tottenham, transforming it into 28 shared ownership homes.

• A new consortium of housing associations - the Amphion Consortium - signed an ambitious development agreement for 1,000 new affordable homes developed in the South of England. The consortium, made up of associations Hastoe, Hyde and Swale, has worked with the Timber Research and Development Association and the University of Greenwich on the design of timber, pre-fabricated and factory-produced homes that will be Egan-compliant. The homes are being built by Beazer Partnership Homes and the first of them were expected to be available for letting early in 2000.

Scotland

• Thenew HA completed the first 60 homes for rent, as part of its £5.4 million development in Blackhill, Govan. Construction also started on a further 26 homes on site as part of Phase II of the project. The redevelopment of Blackhill was supported by Scottish Homes with funding totalling almost £4 million. More homes were planned for the future in a third and final phase of building works.

• The second half of a project to redevelop a former football ground started in Methil, with Kingdom HA's £860,000 project to build 18 affordable new homes for rent at Bayview - which until 1998 was home to East Fife Football Club. The one, two and three-bedroom homes, due for completion in early 2000, are being built with a grant worth £530,000 from Scottish Homes.

• Scotland's first-ever consortium of housing associations was launched as part of a unique partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Homes and the local community. The consortium brought together associations Canmore, Castle Rock, Edinvar and Link, under an umbrella organisation known as Kintry. It works in partnership with local tenants' representatives, the Council, Scottish Homes and developers, providing over 500 new homes as part of the regeneration of the Craigmillar Castle neighbourhood, of which nearly 200 are for rent.

• A Paisley housing estate received a boost to its continued regeneration plans, with a £2.1 million development of affordable houses for rent. The development of a derelict site in the centre of Ferguslie Park features 40 new homes. Scottish Homes supported the Ferguslie Park HA project with funding totalling almost £1.4 million.

• Work on a £1.2 million project to provide 18 affordable new homes for rent and shared ownership began at Glaitness, Kirkwall in Orkney. Supported by grant funding of just over £700,000 from Scottish Homes and developed by Orkney HA, the homes were due to be completed by the middle of 2000.

• A development of 13 new homes for residents with learning difficulties opened in Giffnock. Cosgrove Court was developed through a £783,000 joint project between Scottish Homes, Glasgow Jewish HA and learning difficulties charity - Cosgrove Care. It offers residents a move away from institutionalised care to more independent living in a supported environment.

• In a competition run by Scottish Homes to encourage developers to tackle key housing need, Govan-based Elderpark HA won the Whole Life Homes category, which concentrates on how the building will fare over the next 60 years. The association's entry was developed into a new £700,000 community-centred housing project in Govan. Scottish Homes supported the development with over £500,000 of investment capital.

June 1999
Youth Views on Home Design

Young people from a housing estate in Glasgow went back to the drawing board with a group of Strathclyde University architecture students, in an innovative housing design initiative. Through a project initiated by Scottish Homes, North View HA and Castlemilk Youth Services Group, young people from the community worked with 15 fourth-year architect honours students at the university to produce new housing designs for the area's younger residents in the 21st century.

Following the completion of the new housing designs - based on a brief by the youth group and containing specific requirements for new homes - a display of drawings and models designed by the architecture students went on show in Castlemilk Library.

The exercise explored a new approach to housing design solutions for the area. The main theme which came out of the brief was that the young people did not want institutionalised accommodation which looked like hostels. They were very keen to have more independent and individualistic styles of homes adaptable to the needs of young people.

July 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Chichester DC and Kelsey HA signed a major regeneration project agreement, which sees £16 million invested in replacing a 154-home estate with 238 homes for rent and shared ownership in Chichester. The new estate is managed by a local committee.

• Dudley Council demolished its Millfield Court and Prince of Wales Court tower blocks to make way for new mixed-use housing on the site.

• Sutton Council granted the Peabody Trust planning permission to build a sustainable 80-home development on a former sewage works. Promises of environmental benefits beat off a rival bid from the private sector.

Northern Ireland

• The Housing Executive Chairman, Sid McDowell, officially opened a £760,000 housing development at Abbeyville in Newtownabbey. The 20 properties represented the second phase of a redevelopment programme to replace older housing, now demolished, in the area. A further 14 new homes complete the third and final phase of the redevelopment programme.

Scotland

• Work started on a £1.6 million development of 23 new homes on the site of a run-down tenement in Drumchapel, Glasgow. The Pineview Housing Co-operative project is funded by a £1.1 million grant from Scottish Homes, plus £409,000 of private finance and £83,600 from direct sales. All 23 homes are barrier-free, making them suitable for disabled residents. Six dwellings are for shared ownership and 17 homes for rent.

• A former builder's yard near the centre of Leven, Fife, is undergoing redevelopment to provide good quality new homes for rent. The £730,000 Kingdom HA project is to provide 14 one- and two-bedroomed homes, supported by a grant of £460,000 from Scottish Homes. The new homes are being built to barrier-free standards.

• Donald Dewar, First Minister of the Scottish Parliament, took part in the opening ceremony of a 62 new homes regeneration project of a peripheral Glasgow housing estate. The £4.1 million project of flats and houses by locally-based Glengarry HA received a £3.2 million grant from Scottish Homes. The new development features a range of one-bedroomed flats to six-bedroomed homes to meet local demand for larger family housing.

July 1999
Building News in Brief

• Construction Minister, Nick Raynsford, announced the publication of Building Control Performance Standards, a new document drawn up by a steering group of representatives from the building profession and local government, which sets out a series of eleven standards for the good conduct of building control - together with guidance. Copies of the document are available from DETR Free Literature - Tel: 0870 1226 236.

• The Government announced the appointment of Professor Pat O'Sullivan as the new Chairman of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, succeeding the outgoing Chairman, Professor Jack Anderson, on his retirement on 31st December 1999.

August 1999
Cowboy Builders Final Report

The Cowboy Builders Working Group submitted its final report to the Government, which calls for the establishment of a nationwide register of quality marked builders, backed up by a mandatory warranty covering all works.

The Working Group was set up in July 1998 to take forward the work of the DETR’s consultation paper - Combating Cowboy Builders - which was published in April 1998. The Working Group issued an interim report for general consultation in April 1999.

This final report sets out the overall structure of the scheme and includes amongst its recommendations:

• The criteria which a trade association or individual company will have to meet in order to participate in the quality mark scheme.

• The mechanism by which the quality mark will form the basis of an approved list of quality builders.

• The recommended standard and scope of the warranty scheme for quality marked firms, including suggested terms and conditions.

• The method with which consumers will be able to identify quality marked builders on the doorstep.

• Detail of the complaints and disciplinary process that consumers will be able to call on.

August 1999
New & Completed Schemes

England

• Green Horizons (a partnership of Metropolitan Housing Trust and London & Quadrant Housing Trust), which is taking the lead in redeveloping the Edmonton Green area in North London, selected Laing Partnership Housing as the developers for the first phase. The £110 million regeneration project provides 500 new homes, as well as employment and training opportunities for local residents.

• Three tower blocks on Sheffield's Norfolk Park Estate were demolished, making room for redevelopment plans to be carried out by a partnership involving North British HA, Sheffield Council and contractor Miller. Seven of the remaining eight tower blocks on the estate were also scheduled for demolition.

• Work started on a partnership scheme, involving North British HA, Thanet DC and South East Regional Development Agency, which sees £1.8 million spent on restoring listed buildings in Ramsgate. The scheme is due to be completed in July 2000 and it will produce 20 new flats and space for new shops.

• Home HA started work on a former Harrogate hospital site, in a scheme to produce 60 new social housing homes. The project was to be carried out by Leeds Federated HA but a Housing Corporation development freeze imposed as a result of governance issues blocked it from progressing. Leeds Federated returned its £280,000 grant for the first phase of the project and the Corporation awarded £1.4 million for the full project to Home HA. This allows the project to be completed in 18 months instead of the originally planned 3 years.

• Ujima HA completed its £462,000 scheme in Wandsworth, which has provided eight one-and two-bedroomed flats.

• Orbit HA opened its new 26-home development at Lakeman Way in Royal Tunbridge Wells, providing housing for local people.

• Liverpool HAT started work on demolishing the 23-storey St George's Heights tower block, which was built in 1966 and is Liverpool's tallest building. The building was being demolished panel by panel and tenants had been rehoused in homes in Everton.

Scotland

• Tollcross HA opened its new £1.83 million housing project in the East End of Glasgow, providing 31 new homes, of which 8 are for shared ownership and a further 15 for affordable rent. Through a joint venture with Loretto HA, eight flats offering supported accommodation have also been earmarked for adults with learning difficulties.

• A new community-driven housing development in Glasgow, which brings together as neighbours elderly people from very different ethnic backgrounds, was opened by Peter McKinlay, Chief Executive of Scottish Homes. The initiative by Glasgow Jewish HA, in partnership with Chinese Wing Hong Society, has provided 24 new purpose-built flats in the City's Cartvale Road. Two of the flats in the £1.2 million development were let to families who have agreed to act as good neighbours and monitor residents' health and welfare on an informal level.

• Ground work on a new housing project in Rothesay uncovered a nationally important archaeological site, which includes secrets of the town's beginnings and led archaeologists to rethink how early settlers shaped the district. The find is a 13th Century urban site, which includes a medieval well, cobbled streets and foundations of buildings and a large find of pottery and ironwork, including prehistoric pottery. The site is to become an £800,000 housing project by Bute HA, due to be completed in July 2000, providing 14 high quality homes for older people who need some support to live in the community.

• Sarah Boyack, Scottish Parliament Minister for Transport and the Environment, opened a 5-storey building in Edinburgh's Old Town, providing 9 new homes for rent and a small shop at ground floor level. The Old Town HA scheme cost £560,000 and includes 4 flats providing resettlement services to people who are currently homeless.

• Work started on a £750,000 Kingdom HA project, which provides 14 affordable new homes for rent in the centre of Burntisland. The one- and two-bedroomed homes will be built to barrier-free standards.

• A partnership project between Margaret Blackwood HA, Scottish Homes and The Moray Council saw the official opening of a £1 million scheme at Buckie, that has provided 17 new homes, including some specially designed for wheelchair users.

• Clydesdale HA opened its new 25 affordable homes' development in the village of Carnwath. The £1.4 million project provides a mix of 17 rented and 8 shared ownership flats and houses - a number of which were designed for the elderly and tenants who use wheelchairs.

• The Deputy Minister for Local Government, Frank McAveety, opened Thenew HA's new £3.7 million project, providing 60 flats and houses for rent in Glasgow's Blackhill area.

• A £1.3 million housing development on the site of the former Waverley Court multi-storey block in Paisley is underway. The Paisley South HA project will provide 25 new homes for rent on the site of the former high-rise block - demolished by Scottish Homes in 1996.

• Renfrewshire Council supported the project by making a key piece of land available. The development includes a mix of two- to five-bedroomed homes, 8 amenity homes for the elderly and one two-bedroomed home earmarked for special letting through Barnardos, to provide first tenancy accommodation for younger people.

• A £6 million regeneration of a peripheral housing estate in Barrhead has drawn to a close after 5 years of on-site work, as Peter McKinlay, Chief Executive of Scottish Homes, officially opened the final 31 new homes. The three-phase regeneration of the town's Dunterlie Estate by Barrhead HA has provided a total of 117 new homes for rent since work began on site in 1994.

August 1999
Building News in Brief

• Housing Minister, Nick Raynsford, announced that 10% of next year's Approved Development Programme is allocated to schemes that comply with the recommendations of the Construction Task Force, which has been chaired by Sir John Egan. The Government also signalled that the figure would progressively increase in subsequent years. The Government's target is to ensure that all of the Approved Development Programme is 100% Egan-compliant by the financial year 2003/04.

• Tarmac Construction Housing, which specialises in social housing developments, has been renamed Carillion Housing.

• Social housing insurance specialists Farr commenced a feasibility study into insuring housing associations against the provisions of the forthcoming Environment Act. The Act is in force from December 1999 and, under its provisions, Board members, directors and senior officers of housing associations can be held personally liable for any pollution on land that they control. Farr’s pilot package is directed at developments on brownfield sites.

September 1999
New and Completed Schemes

Scotland

• Work started on transforming a vacant site in Greenock into 28 flats for affordable rent. The £1.6 million James Watt HA scheme attracted a £1 million grant from Scottish Homes. Six of the flats are being modified for occupation by disabled tenants. The project is due for completion in January 2001.

• The official opening took place of a £1.1 million 15 new homes for affordable rent scheme in Methil. The Kingdom HA scheme has £700,000 grant funding from Scottish Homes. The homes incorporate a range of energy-saving features, which are expected to reduce combined gas and electricity costs for residents by up to 45%.

• A £1.1 million project to provide 17 new homes for rent started in the Strathairlie area of Arbroath. The Angus HA project, which is part of a wider regeneration strategy, is supported by a grant of £606,000 from Scottish Homes.

• A £4.7 million project, providing affordable new homes for rent and sale on the outskirts of St Andrews, was officially opened. The Kingdom HA project, which had £2.5 million grant support from Scottish Homes, provides 50 new homes for rent, together with 33 homes for sale.

• Work started on a £3.7 million project, which sees 36 new homes for rent developed by Link HA, close to the Scottish Parliament site in Edinburgh. Twelve of the new homes offer supported accommodation for people with community care needs.

• An innovative £1 million housing project in Glasgow's East End, which uses warm water from underground mines to provide cheaper and greener heating, was opened. The 16 new homes, developed by Shettleston HA, are heated by using a technique which was pioneered in North America and Iceland. It involved drilling into disused coal mines 130 metres below ground, to tap into thermal water. This geothermal energy supply is fed to a group heating system for the whole development. It is expected that the scheme will result in average combined heating and hot water bills of £100 a year for each of the homes. Additionally, solar energy is used for lighting and ventilation. The development is car free.

• Loretto HA started work on a £1.2 million project, which includes 12 homes for general rent, as well as housing and support for eight applicants from Glasgow's main hostel for homeless men - the Great Eastern Hotel. Loretto HA manages the hostel, which is due to close in 2001. Scottish Homes will invest £975,000 in the project.

October 1999
New and Improved Schemes

England

• Sanctuary HA created eight affordable homes from a restored listing building - Mountford House in North London. The former hospital building is one of several in the Tottenham Green area to be rescued from a national buildings at risk register.
  
• Minister for Housing, Nick Raynsford, opened a new Peabody Trust development in Hackney, which marks a major shift towards more off-site fabrications. The apartment block in Murray Grove is the first UK multi-storey modular development. Prefabricated steel modules manufactured in York were transported to the Hackney site for assembly, complete with fixtures and fittings, including carpets, kitchens and bathrooms. The apartments are available for cost rent and are targeted towards young single people, couples and flat-sharers, who can not afford a mortgage but do not qualify for social housing.

Scotland

• The official opening took place of the first phase of a £3 million Eildon HA project to provide 60 new homes in the centre of Kelso. This phase will produce 31 homes, all of which will be for rent.
  
• Twelve new homes for affordable low-cost ownership will be provided in Port Glasgow at a cost of £600,000 from the conversion of a B-listed former church, with work starting on a project by Clyde Building Group.
  
• A £3.8 million development, which will create 65 new homes in Glasgow's East End, started on site. The Camlachie HA development is supported by a £2.7 million grant from Scottish Homes. All of the new homes will be for rent.
  
• A high-quality housing project in Glasgow's Pollok was officially opened. The 38 new houses are all for rent by local people and they replace poor quality, badly insulated homes which have been demolished. The development is by the community-based Glen Oaks HA, supported by a Scottish Homes grant of £1,945,000.
  
• A new £1 million regeneration project in Castlemilk, Glasgow, was officially opened. The project, by Thenew HA, has been specially designed to include homes for wheelchair users, including a local family with a disabled child, who have been living in a second floor flat. Other homes have been designed for people leaving Lennox Castle hospital. They include many features which will allow residents of the hospital to live independently for the first time - with the help of carers. The project consists of 17 homes, which will house 64 people.

October 1999
New Building Regulations

More than 10 million people will benefit from better access and facilities in newly built homes, as the new Building Regulations came into effect (25th October 1999). Part M of the Building Regulations, which covers issues for better access for housing, is extended to all new homes, private and public.

The measures included cover:

• Level entry to the principal, or a suitable alternative, entrance.
  
• An entrance door wide enough to allow wheelchair access;.
  
• WC provision on the entrance or first habitable storey.
  
• Adequate circulation and wider doors within the entrance storey.

• Switches and socket outlets at appropriate heights from floor level.
  
• Level or gently sloping approach from the car parking space to the dwelling or, where this is not possible, easy going steps - but not a stepped ramp.

• Where a lift is to be provided in flats, a minimum lift capacity and dimensions will be recommended.
  
• Where a lift is not provided, the common stairs will be designed to suit the needs of the ambulant disabled.

October 1999
New Guide to Adapting Houses

A set of guidelines to enhance good practice in adapting houses for older people and people with disabilities was published by the national housing agency for Scotland - Scottish Homes. The Good Practice Guide to Adaptations is aimed at housing associations, housing departments, social work departments, occupational therapists, technical consultants, Scottish Homes operations and housing management teams, private landlords and care and repair projects. It outlines ways that the agencies involved in the arrangement and delivery of adaptations can improve current practice by making the user central to the decision-making process.

The Guide encourages an holistic appraisal, from evaluating the circumstances of the clients in their homes to looking at the individual needs. Apart from the more obvious physical requirements of space and accessibility, it suggests that any provisions should also take into account social, economic and psychological factors.

The Guide is available from Scottish Homes, Thistle House, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HE.

November 1999
New Guidance on Protection from Radon Gas

The publication of revised guidance and details of new measures to protect new homes from radon gas in affected areas of England and Wales was announced by Construction Minister, Beverley Hughes.

The guidance comes in BRE's publication of the revised version of BR 211 Radon: Guidance on Protective Measures for new Dwellings, which updates previously published guidance, details measures that must be incorporated in new buildings and defines the geographical areas where radon protection is necessary. The Approved Document to Part C of the Building Regulations 1991 refers to the BRE document as a source of advice on where radon protection may be needed and what measures are appropriate.

In addition to Cornwall and Devon and parts of Somerset, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire - which were covered in previous guidance - the new guidance identifies new areas where radon protection will be needed. These are parts of the Yorkhire Dales, parts of Wales and the Welsh Border, South Oxfordshire, parts of the Midlands adjacent to the currently delineated areas in Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, parts of Gloucestershire, the Lake District and Northumberland.

November 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• The Amphion Consortium, which represents 14 housing associations, and Beazer Partnership Homes announced a project to build 2,000 Egan-compliant homes in the South of England.

Scotland

• A £930,000 Kingdom HA project was underway - to provide 10 new homes for rent and 4 for shared ownership in Pittenweem. Two of the homes for rent are being specially designed for older people and all of the homes will be built to barrier-free standards, which will make them more accessible to people with mobility difficulties.
  
• Work started on a £1.5 million Forth HA project to provide 27 new homes in Stirling, of which 18 will be for rent and 9 for shared ownership.
  
• Work got under way on a £2.9 million project to build 44 new houses as part of a regeneration programme in the Possilpark area of North Glasgow. The development, by Springburn and Possilpark HA, is due to be completed by the end of 2000. The new homes are the first of a six-phase programme to replace 360 poor quality dwellings, all of which will be for rent by local people.

December 1999
Campaign Against Cowboy Builders

A scheme to help customers choose reliable builders and weed out the cowboys got the go- ahead from Construction Minister Nick Raynsford.

The initiative aims to raise the quality of work in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement sector of the building trade. Key elements are a quality mark, a list of accredited builders of proven technical competence and a financial protection scheme for customers. The new scheme offers a way through the current minefield, with a reliable list of quality- marked competent builders backed up by a warranty.

Two pilot schemes were put in place to develop the scheme in advance of a national roll-out. Birmingham City Council and Somerset County Council agreed to help with the pilots. Firms are only able to use the quality mark and be listed on the quality mark register if they can, amongst other things:

• Prove that they have the right skills and qualifications to do the job, by making sure that a minimum number of operatives hold the right degree of professional qualifications.

• Show that they have the technical capability to do the job, by making sure that they can supply satisfactory references from work completed, with inspection where necessary.

• Demonstrate financial probity by, for example, supplying copies of audited accounts.

• Provide third-party insurance on all work costing more than £ 250.

• Sign up to a common sense code of practice on how to work with the consumer.

The Birmingham and Somerset pilots tested and developed the details of the scheme and gauged its attractiveness to both builders and consumers. The lessons learnt in the pilots will be used to work up the practical arrangements and inform decisions on the best way of rolling out the scheme nationally. In parallel with the DETR's quality mark scheme, the Department of Trade and Industry's Consumer White Paper announced that the Government will be reforming the Fair Trading Act, to make it easier for Trading Standards officers to ban the worst traders and builders.

December 1999
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Vale HA opened its £1 million Marns Hey development of 11 homes in Wantage, Oxfordshire.

Scotland

• A £234,000 development by Angus HA is opened in the village of Airlie. The four new homes are built to full barrier-free standards, making them accessible to older people and those with mobility difficulties.

• Applejack Design has restored and converted a listed 5-storey warehouse at Glasgow Green into 28 high quality affordable flats for sale to first-time buyers and to people on council or housing association waiting lists. The £1.9 million project received a £500.00 grant from Scottish Homes.

• Twenty-nine quality homes for rent by local people have been developed by Barrhead HA as part of the continuing regeneration of Barrhead town centre. In a project costing £1.5 million, ten of the homes have been specially designed for older people and one is accessible to a wheelchair user.

• Forgewood Housing Co-op opened its £2 million development at the Forgewood Estate, Motherwell. The project, which provides 31 new homes for rent and 6 for shared ownership, represents the second phase of a building programme which will eventually see 85 new homes in the area.

• Work got underway in Crieff on a £914,000 affordable housing project to provide 15 good quality new homes for rent at South Bridgend. The project will complement an earlier phase which completed 39 new homes for rent in 1998.

• One hundred and twenty affordable new homes will be provided in Edinburgh's Craigmillar area in a flagship £7 million housing project to regenerate the Niddrie Mains Estate. The development is expected to set the standard for future regeneration projects by helping to create a balanced and sustainable community, through its provision of affordable homes for both sale and rent in a high quality living environment. Work should be completed by January 2001, with Manor Estates HA providing 60 homes for rent and the Edinburgh-based developer, Hart Estates, a further 60 for low-cost sale.

• Wishaw and District HA announced that it is to transform the site of a former church at Kirk Road, as part of the ongoing regeneration of Wishaw town centre. Eight new homes for rent to local people will be provided in the quality development.

January 2000
External Cladding Fire Risk Warning

A report from the Commons’ Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee urges landlords of high rise tower blocks to carry out urgent investigations into potential fire risks of external cladding on buildings.

The report recommends that the DETR and the Housing Corporation instigate a review of the estimated 500 tower blocks owned by local authorities and housing associations that have external cladding, following a serious fire last June in Irvine in a 14-storey block where a disabled tenant died.

The report accepts that the majority of cladding systems do not pose a serious fire risk but it urges early action in identifying those that do fail modern standards. Key recommendations are:

• A Building Research Establishment (BRE) test for fire performance of external cladding. The report notes that BSI are considering a test as a British standard but that this would fall short of complying with Building Regulations.

• Assessments by fire safety officers and checks to ensure that fire retardants meet standards and have not degraded.

Potential Risk of Fire Spread in Buildings Via External Cladding Systems. Stationery Office (£5.10). Tel: 0870 600 5522.

January 2000
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Cara Irish HA officially opened its new development of six purpose-built flats for older Irish people in Coventry. The scheme will have the support of a project manager, whose duties include assisting tenants with their benefits and with health needs.

Scotland

• Barrhead town centre got a regeneration boost, as work on a multi-million pound housing project went on site. The Kirkton Gardens scheme will see the creation of 76 new homes, of which 30 will be for rent and 46 for sale. The project, which is the result of a partnership between Scotttish Homes, Barrhead HA, East Renfrewshire Council and Carvill Construction (Scotland) is due to be completed by November of this year.

February 2000
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Due for completion was the conversion of one of Winston Churchill’s World War II bunkers into dwellings, as part of Network HA’s 99-homes scheme in Neasden, east London.

• A joint project by Tees Valley HA and Scarborough Council was officially opened, which has seen the conversion of an eighteenth century Grade II listed building into social housing. The £300,000 scheme provides three new central town flats and a ground floor shop.

• A 350-homes project intended as a private estate will now be available as social housing only, following the decision by the developer that the project was not viable enough to proceed. Originally intended as part of a local Single Regeneration Budget scheme, Riverside HA had already completed the first stage of 100 homes on the Moss Green Estate on the outskirts of Stoke, funded by a £4.4 million social housing grant. The estate will eventually have 254 homes for rent and 80 dwellings for shared ownership. A further 20 homes will be available for flexible tenure arrangements.

Scotland

• Scottish Homes announced a £4.7 million public-private sector investment in West Dunbartonshire. The funding will mainly go to a project by locally-based Dunbritton HA, who will build 59 flats and houses for people with mobility problems and for mainstream use in Alexandria. All of the homes will be for rent to people on either the Housing Association's or West Dunbartonshire Council's waiting lists. A further 16 new houses will be built for sale to first-time buyers, again supported by grant funding from Scottish Homes.

• Work started in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow on a development of 66 quality homes for rent, with £3 million in grant funding from Scottish Homes and a further £1.2 million from the private sector. The project, by Easthall Park Housing Co-operative, will consist of cottage flats and terraced houses, which are styles of construction that have previously been missing from this part of Easterhouse. Two-thirds of the homes will have internal and external barrier-free features, providing easier access for families, the disabled and the elderly.

• Edinburgh will gain about 1,000 new affordable homes for rent and low-cost sale to first- time buyers as part of the City’s £500 million development of the Granton waterfront area. Muirhouse HA is already developing on the site and West Granton Housing Co-op is soon to start building there.

• Clydebank-based Trafalgar HA celebrated its tenth anniversary with the opening of a £1.5 million housing development, which will create 26 properties for rent and five for sale. Two units will be available for people leaving long-stay hospital care, as part of the Greater Glasgow Hospital re-provisioning strategy for learning disabilities. The new development, at Trafalgar Street in Dalmuir, has attracted a £1.1 million grant from Scottish Homes.

• An £11 million pact between Scottish Homes and Orkney Islands Council will see fragile communities in Orkney benefiting from targeted new housing investment. In the first year of the agreement, Scottish Homes will invest over £1 million in Orkney to help tackle housing issues, such as rural disadvantage and the lack of houses for rent in local communities. This funding will also allow the development of more than 50 homes throughout the islands by the end of the year 2000. Based on resource assumptions, investment by Scottish Homes will be stepped up to £1.5 million a year in the following two financial years. Orkney Islands Council proposes to spend more than £2 million on housing projects in the coming year, including works to bring empty properties back into use for renting.

Wales

• Welsh Assembly Local Government Secretary, Peter Law, cut the first turf at a new development in Bridgend, which will see Wales and West HA develop a mix of one-bedroom flats and two-bedroom houses.

Peter Law also visited the site of the proposed Bettws Regeneration Project in Bridgend, where the next phase of the scheme will provide around 135 new homes, consisting of family housing, flats and bungalows.

March 2000
New and Completed Schemes

Scotland

• Springburn and Possilpark HA announced its £1.9 million scheme to provide 26 semi- detached houses for rent in Glasgow’s North Possil Area. This is the second stage in a £10 million, six phase project - which will create 240 quality new homes for rent in the Possilpark area. It is part of an ongoing commitment between the Association and Scottish Homes to rehouse 200 former Glasgow CC tenants from their existing sub-standard accommodation. The new homes will form part of a completely revitalised neighbourhood providing lower density, quality properties with gardens.

• Work started on the last phase of a major housing development in Kelso. The £900,000 project by Eildon HA will provide 18 new homes for rent to local people. It is backed by a £600,000 grant from Scottish Homes. The project will complete a development of 60 new homes by the Association at the site, which is situated directly opposite Kelso’s famous Abbey, and next to Rennie Bridge, which spans the Tweed. The development already contains a mix of affordable housing for rent and shared ownership. The 18 new homes currently under construction will provide a range of housing for families, single people, and older people. They will include some furnished accommodation, and barrier-free homes designed to allow people with physical disabilities easier access and mobility.

• Albyn Housing Society started work on seven new homes at Grantown. The £440,000 scheme will provide 5 four-person houses and 2 three-person cottages for rent. Albyn HA also commenced work on a £500,000 project to build ten new flats for rent in Inverness. Two out of the ten flats will be let to people coming out of supported housing.

• Details of a new project were released by Clydebank HA, which will see the development of 40 two-bedroom flats for rent in the Clydebank area. The accommodation will cater to a range of requirements, such as elderly amenity housing. Situated close to Clydebank’s main shopping centre and transport links, the development is ideally suited to cater for the elderly. The flats have been designed in accordance with new barrier free guidelines. As well as having generous space standards they are capable of being adapted to the varying needs of the occupants as time goes on.

• Queens Cross HA started work on over 100 properties at Murano Street, Firhill in Glasgow. The 64 homes for rent, 24 for sale and 16 for owner-occupation are part of a local employment initiative. Ten people who were unemployed have been given jobs at the development.

• A £1 million housing development by Old Town HA was opened in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, which provides 16 new homes for rent. Scottish Homes provided £530,000 towards the project, adding to £325,000 in private funding. The Department of Social Security also contributed £ 162,000, which will fund three flats providing resettlement services to people who are currently in unsuitable accommodation. Support will be provided by Old Town Housing Association to help individuals to identify permanent accommodation. The project completes Old Town HA’s involvement in the redevelopment of the Holyrood North site.

April 2000
Corporation Proposals Promote Pre-fab

The Housing Corporation announced that it is developing proposals to promote greater use of prefabrication techniques in new housing developed by registered social landlords (RSLs). It is to ring-fence a proportion of the Approved Development Programme (ADP) over a two- year period to fund a special programme for schemes which use these techniques.

The proposals contributed to the Corporation's strategy for implementing the recommendations of the Construction Task Force report - Rethinking Construction. This report specifically highlighted developments in pre-assembly and in the design and manufacture of prefabricated units as opportunities for achieving improvements in the cost, time and quality of construction projects.

The Government's commitment to the implementation of the Task Force's recommendations was reinforced in the just published Housing Green Paper - which proposes that changes should be considered in the way ADP resources are allocated, in order to increase the proportion of the programme to schemes that make use of prefabrication techniques.

Under the Corporation's proposals, it is anticipated that around £40 million a year over the two years 2001/02 and 2002/03 will be allocated to schemes using prefabrication techniques. RSLs who want to take part will be able to submit plans in the forthcoming bidding round, which starts in August 2000.

As with the main ADP, schemes will be expected to meet local and regional housing needs. In addition, RSLs selected will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to the implementation across their construction programmes of the principles recommended by the Task Force.

To provide the levels of throughput required by suppliers to invest in production facilities, the Corporation announced its intention to pre-select a small number which RSLs would be expected to use. These are likely to include timber frame and steel frame systems.

Consultants E C Harris have been appointed by the Corporation to manage the selection process. They will evaluate the available systems against a range of selection criteria, designed to ensure the systems selected are robust, provide good value for money and meet all the requirements normally expected of publicly-funded housing.

The Corporation also plans to appoint a small advisory group, which will include some external representatives, to advise on the selection. Final proposals for the programme, including the size of the ring-fenced fund, will be submitted to Ministers for their approval in July 2000.

April 2000
New and Completed Schemes

England

• Derwent Housing announced plans for the redevelopment of listed Victorian factory units in Loughborough to provide mixed tenure, key worker and student accommodation. The Grand Union Gardens project will also include a community centre and 38 one and two-bed flats in a new-build block.

• Peabody Trust started work on its zero energy development at Beddington in South London, which will see 82 new homes and commercial space developed on a former sewage works. The energy efficient homes will incorporate combined heat and power systems.

The Trust also received outline planning permission for its proposed £70 million solar urban village in West London’s Ladbroke Grove area, which will see 300 new homes developed.

Scotland

• A £530,000 project to provide good quality homes for people who are currently homeless started in Falkirk. The development, by Fife-based Kingdom Housing Association, will transform a disused office building in Grahams Road into 18 two, three and four-person flats for rent. The project, which is expected to be completed in October 2000, is one of several identified in a new joint working agreement, which has recently been signed by Scottish Homes and Falkirk Council. The joint action plan also includes a partnership project with Thomas Mitchell Homes to provide low-cost homes for sale in Limerigg. A development by Loretto Housing Association and Thomas Mitchell Homes to provide new homes for rent and low-cost sale is already underway at Grangemouth.

• Work started on a £1.7 million project by Viewpoint Housing Association to provide 22 flats for rent in Edinburgh’s Merchiston area. The project will bring two empty properties, one of which is a listed building, back into use. The accommodation will be fully barrier free, catering to a wide range of needs including those of the elderly.

• A £613,000 development by Angus HA is opened at Timbergreens, Arbroath. The project has transformed a former industrial site in the town to provide 11 new homes for rent through the Association. The new development includes a mix of flats and houses, ranging in size from one to four bedrooms.

• Work commenced on a £2.3 million housing development at Tharsis Street in Glasgow’s Royston area. The Copperworks Housing Co-operative project will provide 36 flats for rent. The homes are due for completion during May 2001. The Co-operative are also creating 21 flats for rent and seven for sale at Royston Road, at a total scheme cost of £1.7 million (due for completion in December 2000).

Return To The HMD Archive Index