Building work starts on new bungalows for the elderly...

[dutchman]

A £4.9million investment has been announced which will provide refurbished social housing for up to 34 elderly people in the city.



Whitefriars has announced plans to demolish the existing 40 apartments at Jack Ball House, in Potters Green, and George Rowley House, in Canley .

The 1980s buildings will be replaced by eight two-bedroom bungalows at Jack Ball House and nine two-bedroom bungalows at George Rowley House.

Both sites have been empty since 2014 after Coventry City Council closed down its care schemes at the sites in a bid to save money.

Work on the two care home sites started on Monday and comes just weeks after Whitefriars announced £3m of investment to redevelop the currently occupied Skipton Lodge, in Upper Stoke, and Halford Lodge, in Keresley .

Jack Ball House and George Rowley House will be redeveloped by Whitefriars in partnership with United Living and the Homes and Communities Agency who are providing £891,000 of funding.

Catherine Collis, assistant director of specialist housing services for WM Housing Group, said: “We are committed to upgrading our homes for older people to meet the changing needs of Coventry’s ageing population.

“Jack Ball and George Rowley are the first schemes to be modernised as part of our five year strategy for older persons accommodation and services.”

Both buildings will benefit from new, two-story glazed entrance areas, rooftop terraces, landscaped gardens and larger parking areas.

Internally the buildings will be remodelled with new bathrooms, kitchens and large communal areas for activities being installed.

The bungalows and refurbished properties will be available for rent exclusively to people aged 55 and over.

All homes are due for completion in December 2016.

How exactly are tenants aged between 55 and 66 supposed to pay the Bedroom Tax on the second bedroom?

[dutchman]

By a quirk of fate I've been offered one the said bungalows!

The main bedroom and living room are a good size but the second bedroom and kitchen are on the small side while the 'bathroom' has only enough space for a walk-in shower. There's no dedicated eating area. There is very little 'circulation space' either, a criticism of many modern designs.

There are TWO parking spaces per bungalow (other developers please take note) but no lock-up garage option. There's no storage area either eg: garden shed or basement. The roof space is a good height (rare these days) but I'm not sure if there's any access to it from beneath.

As far as I can tell this was a one-off project by Michael Dyson Associates which has not been repeated by Whitefriars/Citizen, possibly due to cost. It's of a higher standard than many modern developments but not as good (in my opinion) as a period property.