Local Authority Building & Maintenance March/April 2022

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PROJECT PROFILE: BPHA’S TOWER BLOCK REGENERATION

bpha’s Ashburnham Court

Talking about regeneration Steve Storey, Senior Regeneration Manager at bpha, talks to LABM about Vista, the housing association’s exciting regeneration project to improve the living experience of its customers in several of its Bedford tower blocks.

T

he 14 blocks within the town are home to over 1,000 residents. Built in the 1950s and 1960s, nine of the blocks are classed as high-risk residential buildings (HRRB) being over 18 metres in height. To ensure they are fit for the future and continue being desirable places for our residents to live, in 2018 we conducted a full review and condition survey of all the blocks. This assessed environmental performance, safety and general appearance. Although structurally sound, the main issue was their ability to retain warmth. Concerns over fuel poverty for

many households and the rising costs of energy, meant that instead of just replacing windows and roofs, we took a more holistic approach to refurbishing the blocks. To address these issues and to achieve bpha’s goal of getting all our homes to at least a Band C EPC rating, we are externally insulating the blocks while installing new windows and roofing. With new rainscreen cladding, the new external insulation will protect the buildings from water, reduce heat loss in the winter, and ensure the flats stay cooler in summer. We discussed our plans through a series of face-to-face consultations with


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