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Sheltered Housing gets a new lease of life

An investment of more than £800,000 is being made in sheltered housing across the Borough.

Castle Point Borough Council has a total of eight sheltered housing complexes – three in Benfleet, one in Hadleigh and four on Canvey Island – offering a mix of flats and bungalows for older residents.

Some had shared bathrooms, but a review of the accommodation pledged to incorporate bathrooms into individual accommodation. Work is now all but completed at Gowan Court, Benfleet and Amelia Blackwell House, Canvey Island.

Gowan Court residents moved out of their homes temporarily to accommodate a major refurbishment which included new kitchens, self-contained wet rooms, and improved communal areas, including the introduction of lifts.

Amelia Blackwell House, Canvey Island has also benefitted from the installation of wetrooms.  In most cases residents worked with housing staff to choose their own fixtures and finishes. Previously these flats had been hard to let because of the shared bathrooms, but the improvements have made them much more attractive to potential tenants.

Councillor Beverley Egan, Cabinet Member for Homes and Customer Engagement said: “The work we have been doing on our sheltered accommodation has been well received by residents, even though it has caused some disruption during the process. Most residents have told us they are thrilled with their new accommodation.”

“The work is part of Castle Point’s commitment to improve the standard of all its social housing across the Borough.”

Media Contact: For more information contact Carol Leach, Media Advisor on 01268 882427 or email media@castlepoint.gov.uk