If you have ventured into the Tarring area recently you may have noticed lots of building vehicles and activity, this is due to a development and a couple of refurbishments that we are working on to bring new affordable homes to local people.
The first development and our largest in Tarring is on the old Church House site. A former sheltered scheme built in the 1960’s it has now been razed to the ground in readiness for 14 new homes (2 flats and 12 houses) to be built; with the old stable block being refurbed to into some of these homes.
This new neighbourhood, which we are calling Church view terrace, will be supplied at social rent costs rather than the Governments ‘affordable’ rent, due to us already owning the land; and because of this we have also received a grant from Homes England towards the build cost.
As part of our sustainability ethos these homes will be fitted with smart tech, a tablet built into the wall allowing you to control heating, lighting and plug sockets from the one place; the residents will also be able to control these from their smart phones if they have one. There will also be water efficient taps and toilets and we are hoping to have smart water meters installed to help the residents keep track of their usage and bills. And with the move to electric vehicles we are also installing electric vehicle ducting in readiness for when charging points need to be installed.
The scheme is also being built with a sustainable urban drainage system to ensure there are measures and materials in place to absorb rainwater and help prevent flooding, which is highly important given that Tarring is prone to this.
These 14 new homes will be completed in March 2020 at which time they will be available to local people via the Worthing Borough Council housing list.
Meanwhile our sheltered scheme, Elizabeth House in Pelham Road, is currently undergoing a makeover to enhance the living accommodation.
Currently the bathroom facilities are all shared, with each studio flat only having its own toilet and hand basin, which we believe to be sub-standard living arrangements for the 21st century.
By redesigning the internal layout of the flats, and incorporating the existing shared bathroom spaces into the layouts, we will be able to provide each resident with a home that has separate bedroom and living room whilst having the comfort of their own shower rooms. We will be including one shared bathroom (with bath and shower) in the finished scheme as we are also going to be working in partnership with WSCC to provide some flats in the scheme for people with enhanced support or care needs.
Finally, in Parkfield Road, we are transforming a house that we was previously leased to WSCC (and prior to that was a doctors surgery) into 4 two bedroom flats. Upon completion these will be leased to Worthing Borough Council for housing use over the next 30 years.