Pre de L’Aumone ‘ideal place to start’ States housing revamp
The States-owned housing estate Pre de L’Aumone is set for a revamp, which could lead the way for a major refurbishment project for other post-Occupation estates.
Employment & Social Security committee, which has political responsibility for States housing, is looking at major renovations on the estate, including external wall insulation and the replacement of windows and doors, most of which are more than 25 years old, have reached the end of their useful life, and with replacement parts difficult to obtain.
It is going out to tender to find someone to do the work.
‘It is a large estate of properties that are now 70 years old and in need of significant investment, and because they are fairly typical of a great deal of States housing, which was erected in the period after the Occupation, and therefore will serve as a test case for further such projects to be rolled out in future,’ said ESS president Peter Roffey.
The estate was built in the early 1950s as a mixture of two- and three-bedroom homes. They were built with brick with a small cavity, which has subsequently been filled with loose rockwool insulation.
The States is going out to tender for options to replace windows and doors, improve the thermal performance of the properties, reduce heat loss, reduce reactive maintenance, and improve the appearance of the estate.
Deputy Roffey said that his committee was very aware that older housing stock needed updating, particularly with regards to insulation.
‘We already knew that, but it was reinforced by the stock survey carried out by Savilles, when consideration was being given to a stock transfer from the States to the GHA,’ he said.
‘They concluded that States housing was generally very well maintained, but many of the older properties were in need of upgrading and modernisation. In the end it was decided not to proceed with that stock transfer but, as a good landlord, we still need to do the work to bring our properties up to modern-day standards.’
He said that Pre de L’Aumone, an estate with 52 homes, was seen as the ideal place to start.
Some residents told the Guernsey Press that they thought this work on their homes was long overdue.
