More building works at Glen Lodge start

May 25, 2024 ~ Steve Galloway ~ Leave a comment

After adding 27 extra homes to Glen Lodge in 2018, work is starting to refurbish and make the 32 original apartments more energy-efficient, accessible and comfortable.

This popular independent living community in Heworth was originally built in the 1970s and a £4 million investment in 2018 added 25 new apartments and two new bungalows to it.

The extensive refurbishment of the original building will put the original living and communal spaces on a par with the new extension.

The refurbishment includes:

complete rewiring and replumbing
installing a new heating system compatible with a low-energy and low-carbon air source heat pump
increasing current levels of insulation including insulating balconies to keep temperatures more constant in all seasons
fitting new double-glazed windows
completely replacing all kitchens and bathrooms with accessible fittings
giving three ground floor apartments improved access to the scheme’s gardens by adding external doors, and adding patios – where space permits.

The work is due to complete in spring 2025 when residents will be able to move in.

Earlier 18th October 2016

£4m project to provide more extra care at Glen Lodge gets underway

Work to extend a City of York Council sheltered accommodation scheme is starting to deliver a £4 million investment to increase and further improve care services for older people.

Glen Lodge Housing with Extra Care Scheme is being extended as part of the council’s plans to modernise accommodation for older people in the city with 25 new flats and two new bungalows being built.

As well as the proposed extension, the council is also working to extend the existing help and support available to residents – known as ‘extra care’ – so it is available 24 hrs a day, seven days a week. This will enable even more people with higher care and support needs to live at Glen Lodge.

The work is part of the Older People’s Accommodation Programme which aims to give older people more choice and control about the care and support they receive.

Local contractor William Birch is carrying out the works and will have a number of apprentices working on the project. Danny Langdon, David Hayes and Chris Horsley, all at various stages of their bricklaying apprenticeships with York College, are working under their mentor, Steve Bailey, a highly-skilled bricklayer. They will initially be working on the new bungalows and will then move on to the main building. Continue reading “More building works at Glen Lodge start” →

York Council flats modernisation will cost over £100,000 per property

January 31, 2024January 31, 2024 ~ Steve Galloway ~ Leave a comment

Officials at the York Council are saying that modernisation schemes at two blocks of flats will cost over £6 million.

The most expensive scheme is the upgrading of 40 properties at Bell Farm.

Bathrooms extensions to the flats, which were constructed about 40 years ago, contain asbestos. The extensions have now “degraded”.

The works proposed will include demolition and rebuild of the pod extensions/ The new extensions will be built to a high level of thermal comfort with enhanced insulation.

A full refurbishment and remodel of the homes will be undertaken including retrofit works to significantly improve the energy efficiency of the homes. These works include;

replacing cavity wall insulation,
external wall insulation to solid gable end walls,
new UPVC windows,
new composite doors,
upgrading the DPC to prevent rising damp,
replacement of kitchens and bathrooms.

“Where existing gas boilers are out of warranty and cannot be reused these will be replaced with Air Source Heat pumps, removing the properties from dependence on fossil fuels”.

The total cost of the scheme is estimated at £4.790m,

Most of the funding will come from the housing revenue account which depends on Council tenants rents. The Council will use income from the sale of Council houses to underpin the work

The second scheme involves the refurbishment of the old building at Glen Lodge.

This is an “independent living community” catering mainly for older people. It was built in the 1970s and has 32 apartments. A modern extension was added in 2017.

A Council report says, The refurbishment of the original part of this building was primarily aimed at dealing with the replacement of the domestic hot and cold water systems which had repeatedly become contaminated with legionella and was being managed through chemical dosing.

Following approval to progress the project in July 2022 a number of intrusive surveys were undertaken to better understand the condition of the building.

“These surveys have identified a number of critical issues which, following consultation with internal and external subject experts, have resulted in the inclusion of additional works to be incorporated into the scope of the project.

During the surveys it became apparent that services were contained within an asbestos containing service trench. Both the electrical services and heating pipework to the building were at the end of their useable life and likely to fail within the next 5 years and therefore the decision was made that whilst the building is vacant, these major disruptive works will be undertaken to reduce the ongoing maintenance requirement of the building and significantly reduce the risk of disruption to future residents”.

The scope of work now comprises of;

replacement of hot and cold water pipework,
replacement of the heat network including low surface temperature radiators,
a full rewire,
remodel of ground floor properties to enhance accessibility,
essential fire strategy works,
window replacement,
kitchen and bathroom replacement,
redecoration and new floor finishes to flats and communal spaces

The total cost of the scheme is £3.204 million. Capital receipts forom housing sales will also be used to underpin these works.

The use of capital receipts for modernisation works means that it will not be possible to ue them to replace the homes that have been sold off.

NB. Its not so long ago that the Council was building brand new flats for less than £100,000 each.

Housing health risks in Bell Farm and Glen Lodge prompt Council action

July 21, 2022July 22, 2022 ~ Steve Galloway ~ 2 Comments

Glen Lodge

To address safety concerns (see left) a schedule of work has been devised to resolve the water hygiene issues and carry out significant improvements to the buildings.

These works comprise new hot & cold pipework system, intrusive asbestos & fire survey and remedial works, replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, redecoration of apartments and communal areas, replacement of communal flooring and electrical rewiring.

There are currently 31 empty apartments at Glen Lodge. Occupants will have to move out into the new section of the building while the 9 months work programme is completed.

The works are expect to cost £2.2million.

Bell Farm

40 properties within the Bell Farm Estate are in need of significant improvement works. The 40 apartments primarily sit along Bellfarm Avenue and Middleham Avenue. These properties were originally houses which were converted to 1 bedroom apartments approximately 40 years ago.

At this point bathroom “pod” extensions were added to the existing buildings. These are constructed from asbestos containing materials which was common at the time. The pod structures are starting to degrade, creating a health and safety risk if not tackled.

A council report says, “

Whilst plans to remedy the asbestos pods have been ongoing, planned repairs such as bathrooms and kitchen replacement, window and door replacement and works to address standing water issues which exist under some of the buildings have been deferred in order to ensure there is no significant investment in abortive works.

As a result the homes are in varying states of disrepair and will require significant work to bring them to a good condition.

The project will include major upgrades to insulation of the properties at a cost of £1/2 million.

The cost of this project is estimated to be £1.8 million.

Young volunteers deck the halls at Glen Lodge

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 ~ Steve Galloway ~ Leave a comment

An award-winning partnership between youth homeless charity SASH and the council have helped older residents deck the halls at Glen Lodge.

The Enable team was at the council-run Heworth independent living scheme on 28 November, when they provided and hung the Christmas decorations. This is the third session which Enable has completed at Glen Lodge this year: in the spring they redecorated a tenant’s flat and gave an area of the communal garden a makeover in the summer.

While carrying out the garden project the older tenants told the young volunteers how much they all loved Christmas, but getting the decorations up was a massive task. Following this the young people asked if they could help, Christmas decorations were sourced by the council and the team trimmed Christmas trees, played seasonal music and got into the festive mood with residents and staff.

This month’s makeover is the latest of 27 different projects carried out by the Enable team which consists of young people and colleagues from the youth homeless charity SASH, and City of York Council housing experts. The scheme was developed to improve the lives of younger and older people in York and in 2018 it won the Best Community Project at the York Community Pride Awards.

Over the past five years, young volunteers have given their time to help older people in York who struggle with jobs around the home and garden. In return they have learned new skills which will come in handy when they live in a place of their own.

Gary Hogg, SASH active project coordinator, said: “Enable’s projects have made a real and lasting difference to the lives of older people in York. The young people have made friends, spend time with older people, learned new skills and, perhaps most importantly, have seen first-hand just how much difference they can make to the lives of others.

“With this project, not only have they got Glen Lodge looking a treat for the festive season, but they’ve shared mince pies and some Christmas cheer with the tenants.”

Tom Brittain, assistant director of housing and community safety at City of York Council, said: “Our Enable project aims to give younger people a meaningful experience with home maintenance to help ensure that any tenancy they take on is a lasting success.

“We also want older people to benefit from their skills and enjoy their company. Thank you to everyone involved.”

Round the clock care available at York council Extra Care Scheme

February 4, 2016 ~ Steve Galloway ~ Leave a comment

Tenants at City of York Council’s Sheltered Housing with Extra Care Scheme, Glen Lodge, will be able to access round-the-clock care and support from this month.

The new scheme will see Glen Lodge’s current extra care provision extended from 7am-11pm, to 24 hours, seven days a week.

With the number of people in York aged 75 and older expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2030, and with the popularity and quality of its current provision at Glen Lodge and extra care services at Auden House, these new plans are part of a city-wide scheme to modernise accommodation for older people.

The programme seeks to address the needs of York’s ageing population by making the best use of existing sheltered housing, by offering people with higher care needs the services and accommodation they need now and in the future.

A planning application has also been submitted to build a further 25 flats and two bungalows on the Glen Lodge site, whose tenants can use the extra care services as their needs change. The application will be considered by the Area Planning Sub Committee on 4 February.

A number of staff from Grove House and Oakhaven – the two council residential care homes which are due to close this spring as part of plans to modernise care and support for older people as part of r the Older People’s Accommodation Programme – will help to deliver the extended care and support at Glen Lodge.

Residents are still awaiting the results of the independent inquiry into the alleged “rat biting” incident at Glen Lodge Continue reading “Round the clock care available at York council Extra Care Scheme” →