PRC Homes
Somer Community Housing Trust owns over 435
Pre-cast Reinforced Concrete (PRC) houses and flats in Bath and
Keynsham.
PRC
homes were
built in large numbers in the post-war years and the Trust owns a
number of different types in a variety of locations. As a result of
structural problems either in the concrete used in their
construction, or due to the corrosion of the steel reinforcement
within the concrete, the properties have been technically classed
as defective.
While no immediate structural problems are apparent, the
properties have a limited life in their current form. The options
available to deal with these problems are to either refurbish the
properties or to demolish them and redevelop the area with brand
new homes.
In October 2006, the Board made the decision to demolish 191 PRC
homes replacing them with brand new homes built to the highest
design standards. In summary, the proposals for the six areas
are as follows:
- Caernarvon Road, Keynsham – redevelopment
- Amberley Close / Lulworth Road, Keynsham – redevelopment
- Other PRC properties in Keynsham – refurbishment
- Pennyquick View, Hinton Close, Twerton – redevelopment
- Southlands, Weston – redevelopment
- Holcombe Green, Weston – redevelopment
The Trust selected affordable housing and neighbourhood
regeneration specialist Lovell as its preferred partner to build
all of the new homes.
Lovell, which has offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge,
Cardiff, Glasgow, Leatherhead, Leeds, London, Manchester,
Merseyside, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Stockton-on-Tees and
Tamworth, is Britain’s leading provider of affordable housing.
Lovell is part of top five UK construction and regeneration group
Morgan Sindall plc which operates through five specialist divisions
of fit out, construction, infrastructure services, affordable
housing and urban regeneration.
Lovell website.
To date the project has achieved the following milestones:
- Planning permission secured for all development sites, 275
homes to be built in total including 57 for immediate housing.
- Funding secured from the Homes & Communities Agency to
built all the homes as affordable housing.
- 40 new homes built at Caernarvon Road and handed over in summer
2009.
- Introduction of innovative Rent to Homebuy scheme at Caernarvon
Road.
- Work started on site on the remaining 4 sites.
- The first new properties at Amberley Close/Lulworth Road
completed and handed over.
- 21 PRC homes refurbished in Keynsham.
- 60 PRC homes refurbished in Bath.
- 6 local apprentices working on site.