Housing developer secures £9.7m improvement contract

Birmingham-based partnership housing developer, Lovell, has been appointed to carry out a near £10m refurbishment scheme in the Black Country.

Lovell, a division of Morgan Sindall Group, has been selected by Sandwell Borough Council to carry out a £9.7m, 18-month improvement programme on three blocks of flats at the Lion Farm Estate, Oldbury.

The internal and external refurbishment of the three 1960s-built high-rises – Harry Price, Hackwood and Wallace Houses – will get under way this month.  Altogether, the 13-storey blocks house more than 200 individual flats.

The upgrading programme will include new windows, balcony doors and panels, and the fitting of fire-resistant, insulated external cladding of the highest standard.  Lovell will also install new lifts and new door entry systems, create extra car parking, carry out landscaping and the redecoration of communal areas.

Residents will continue to live in the flats during the refurbishment and Lovell said its intention was to cause as little disruption as possible while the work was carried out.

The company intends to recruit a number of local apprentices to work on the refurbishment and provide work placements through the project and where possible, it said it would prioritise local contractors.

Lovell  will also get involved in community events and support local organisations, including supporting the council’s ‘Let’s Play’ scheme as well as donating to and helping a local foodbank.

The company will also visit local schools to talk to students about construction and the career opportunities offered by the industry.

Lovell regional refurbishment director Carl Yale said: “This is a major programme of work which will deliver important physical improvements for people’s homes as well as lasting community benefits for the area.”

Cllr Kerrie Carmichael, Sandwell’s cabinet member for housing, said the work on the flats was overdue.

“They really need modernising and I am sure tenants are looking forward to the transformation over the next year which will revitalise the whole estate,” she said.

“The council will be working closely with the Lovell team to make sure that tenants are kept fully up-to-date as work progresses and that they are inconvenienced as little as possible.”

Lovell has been one of the council’s refurbishment partners since 2005.