Important information for residents
Alway Penkin Hill
Hello, This booklet contains important information for you about the work Newport City Homes is carrying out in Alway. As this may affect leaseholders as well as tenants, we are sending this information pack to each household. We’re writing to you because we think that your block – which we call an ‘Easiform’ block – may need some work carried out in the future. We have written to you previously about this, in February and April. In February, we held our first online sessions for residents to come and talk to us about what this work might look like. In these sessions, we told you that we’re looking at three options:
Option one: Take no action It may be that homes in your block may need ongoing general day to day repairs and nothing more. In this situation, we wouldn’t carry out any additional work outside of our normal planned maintenance schedule.
Option two: Refurbishment Our second option could be to carry out refurbishment works on your property and block. This may be straightforward repairs as needed or more extensive work - for example, adding more space to the buildings or making changes to the layout of your block.
Option three: Building new homes If we find that your property needs a significant level of work, we may need to look at building new homes instead of refurbishment. This option might involve some demolition of existing homes. 2
Information for residents
Missed the first session? If you missed our first online session, don’t worry. You can scan the QR code with your smartphone camera to view the recording.
Building the three options To help us gather as much information as possible, we have: • Looked at the information we currently hold on your block • Carried out a series of surveys in your area to collect the latest information • Engaged with residents affected by this work to understand how you feel about your home and local area This has helped us to create detailed options on each of the three areas. This booklet includes: • Which surveys we have carried out and why • What the surveys have told us • A summary of your feedback about your home and local area • Detailed information on each of the options, and what these may mean for you • Information on next steps, including when our next online sessions will be taking place • Details on how you can contact us with any questions or concerns
We know that this is an uncertain time for residents and leaseholders, and that there are many different views about changes you would like to see. We want to make sure that we have fully investigated each option, and that we have taken all resident feedback on board before making any decisions. We would encourage you to read through the options in full and think about any questions you have. We’d like to invite you to an online Zoom meeting on Tuesday 22 June at 2pm. During this session, we’ll talk through the options and answer any questions you have. Cant attend the session? Don’t worry - there are several ways you can get in touch with us listed on page 13. The options and your feedback will be shared with the NCH Board in July, and we’ll be looking to confirm which option we’ll be taking forward during August/September. We really appreciate your patience whilst we carry out this work, and I hope to see you at the next online session.
• Frequently Asked Questions
Kind regards,
It’s important to know that we haven’t made any decisions on which option we will be taking forward at this time.
Rachel George Head of Regeneration at Newport City Homes
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What surveys and work have we carried out? These are the different surveys we have carried out to help develop our options. Condition surveys look at the general condition of properties, including kitchens, bathrooms and any damp issues Structural surveys help us see if there are any structural issues that may need addressing Topographical surveys help us accurately plot the locations and levels of buildings Floorplans and Measured Surveys help us accurately measure homes and review whether they met current space standards and whether layouts meet fire regulations Drainage CCTV surveys have been carried out by placing cameras in drains to check their condition 4
Information for residents
Ground Investigation surveys allow us to assess the ground conditions of area to determine whether any contamination is present, and if any remedial works are needed. It also confirms what type of foundations are required should we progress with a regeneration option Tree surveys have been carried out to assess the quality of the trees around your building to make sure they are safe and worthy of retention and highlight their root protection areas (areas where no development should take place) Further wall tie surveys have also been commissioned to understand the condition of the ties that join together the cavity walls in properties Additional Damp surveys have been commissioned to help us to understand the severity and cause of the damp identified in the condition survey Local housing need the existing Easiform blocks comprise entirely of two-bed flats. There is a need locally for one-bed accommodation as well as two and three-bed houses
What did the surveys tell us? The surveys confirm that the structure of your building is safe. However, we have identified some issues which may need to be looked at, to make sure homes are suitable now and in the future. The issues identified are: • Some cracking has been identified in the external walls of the blocks, so we have carried out further surveys to assess the condition of the ties that join the cavity wall together (known as wall ties)
• Homes currently meet energy ratings of EPC C and have mid thermal performance. This means that homes do not retain heat as effectively as they could
• The roofs are deteriorating and would benefit from some repair works • Damp has been identified so further damp surveys have been commissioned to understand the cause and severity of the problem • Brickwork on the balconies and balustrades will need repair and improvement in the future as part of any major works programme • No contamination was found at this location • Tree surveys confirmed that the trees surrounding the site are in good condition • Layouts do not meet current fire and building regulations because when in the bedroom, the exit is through the living room, which is a high-risk location for fires • The rooms most at risk of fire are kitchens and living rooms, and this risk increases with height. The current planned provision of sprinklers alongside fire detection alarms improves existing arrangements, however, proposed work outlined in option two to alter the layout brings homes to the standard required for new buildings. • Condensation has been found in a number of properties
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Your views and feedback It’s important to us that we’re able to listen to your views and take them on board. We know that this is your home and community, so your opinion is really important for us to understand when considering what work may need to take place. We’ve written out to you to keep you informed through newsletters and updates. We’ve delivered online sessions, which have been recorded, so those that couldn’t attend could still see what had been said. We recently wrote out to you, giving you the opportunity to feedback to us through surveys via the telephone, online or on a paper form that could be posted to us. Four residents responded to our survey and these are the main things we learned from what you told us:
Your home
Your area
You told us that the main things you like about your home are:
You told us the main things you like about your area are:
• The size and layout of your property
• The local park
My home
Having a garden
You also told us that the main things you disliked about your home are: • Damp • Lack of storage
Location
Local amenities
You told us that the main things that you disliked about your local area are: • • • •
Poor parking Litter Anti-social behaviour Crime We’d like to thank all residents who provided their feedback. We have and continue to look carefully at all feedback provided from local residents and leaseholders.
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Information for residents
Option one: Take no action This option would mean that general repairs would be carried out by NCH only, and properties would remain as they currently are. NCH residents would remain in homes as they currently are with no work carried out to address the issues identified. There would be no impact to leaseholders.
Option two: Refurbishment This option would involve significant refurbishment works to your home and block and could include: The block and outside areas • Wrapping the building with a new insulation system which will improve thermal performance and improve the visual appearance of the blocks • In order to meet zero carbon, installation of solar PV and Air Source Heat Pumps would provide sustainable energy and heating to homes • Replace windows and doors • Remove pre-cast concrete elements • Remove existing cavity wall insulation • New car parking spaces to address the current insufficient car parking available within the locality and prevent people parking on pavements • Improved communal green space • New secure cycle storage and bin storage • Additional planting to the boundary of the site • Mechanical ventilation to address condensation
the building and help us to provide an area for bike storage • This work would also help to meet local housing needs to provide more one-bedroom homes Homes on the first floor and above • We would build over existing balconies to provide more internal space • Internal flat layouts would be reconfigured to make sure that they comply with fire regulations • Provide new balconies
Ground floor properties • Two ground floor flats could become one bed flats – this is to incorporate room for the required Mechanical and Electrical equipment to upgrade 7
Impact on NCH residents The level of refurbishment for this option is significant. Should this option be taken forward, we would work with residents and the design team to consider whether works could reasonably be carried out while you remain in your own home, although this may be unlikely due to the amount of work required. It is more likely that we would need to move you from your current home, whilst work is taking place. In this instance: • Our first priority is that the refurbished homes benefit local residents. If you need to move as part of this process, our aim would be to see if we could re-house you in a refurbished home within your local area as part of the works process • If you wanted to move away from the area, we would try to facilitate this where possible • Ideally, we would aim to re-house residents only once, to somewhere that meets your needs • We would talk to you about your needs in terms of location and home and we would work with you to try and meet that need • We would also pay compensation packages that are required by law Impact on leaseholders • If we think that refurbishment work is required, we wouldn’t normally carry out refurbishment works to leaseholder properties
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Information for residents
• If you are a leaseholder and would like to join us in the refurbishment works, we may be able to consider an ‘opt in’ approach, where leaseholders could pay us to carry out the works to your home • There may be instances where we will need to carry out some work to your property e.g. replacement of balustrades and/or windows and improvements to the communal heating systems to make sure that the block functions effectively. If this is the case, we will work with you to try to make sure that any arrangements are suitable for you • Detailed discussions with leaseholders will be necessary to confirm what works will be included These options have been designed to start conversations with the local community about the level of work which may be required, and the exact details of this scheme would require further work through a design and consultation process.
Option three: Building new homes
What would this work look like? If this option is taken forward, all homes within the boundary shown would be demolished and new homes built. The proposals would comprise a total of 40 properties: • 26 one-bedroom flats • 6 two-bedroom flats • 7 two-bedroom houses • 1 three-bedroom house • This option has been designed around existing constraints which include existing services and utilities, trees and the physical features of the area • An emphasis has been provided upon placemaking as part of the design, to make sure that the proposed development will be desirable to live in. Placemaking is the intention of creating public
spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being • These proposals mean that new properties would achieve Zero Carbon through a ‘fabric first’ approach including high quality materials complemented by Solar Panels, Air Source Heat Pumps and mechanical ventilation • Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems will be incorporated to enhance the biodiversity offer of the scheme as well as addressing water quality • Should this option be selected, the existing play area will be replaced and enhanced elsewhere within Alway, as close to where the current play area is situated as possible These options have been designed to start conversations with the local community about what may be possible, and the exact details of this scheme would require further work through a design and consultation process. 9
Impact on NCH residents
Impact on leaseholders
This option would mean that we would need to demolish your current home and move you to a new home that meets your needs. • Our first priority is that the new homes benefit local residents. In the first instance, we would look at whether we could re-house you in a new home within your local area as part of the development process • If you wanted to move away from the area, we would try to facilitate that • Ideally, we would aim to rehome residents only once, to somewhere that meets your needs • We would talk to you about your needs in terms of location and home and we would work with you to try and meet that need • We would also pay compensation packages that are required by law
In this proposal, we would need to buy back a number of leasehold properties. • We would look to work with you, to buy your lease at the market rate and pay any compensation required by law • We could also look to provide alternative home ownership options within the new development so that you can stay within your community • We may also be able to help you with other housing options depending on your needs and circumstances These options have been designed to start conversations with the local community about the level of work which may be required, and the exact details of this scheme would require further work through a design and consultation process.
What the new development could look like. 10
Information for residents
What else is happening in Alway? We have also been looking at other blocks in your area, including: • Walton Close • Adrian Boult Green • Aberthaw West and Balfe Road • Penkin Hill • Arthur Bliss and Britten Close Through our surveys, we have found that all blocks face the same issues. A range of factors means we aren’t currently considering options to build new homes in some of these areas. For the areas where new homes aren’t an option, we have identified ways to improve homes and green spaces through refurbishment. This applies to: • Adrian Bolt Green • Aberthaw West and Balfe Road • Walton Close • Arthur Bliss and Britten Close
There are two areas where we may consider building new properties as one of the options, as well as refurbishing existing homes. This applies to Penkin Hill and Aberthaw Road East. Building new homes at Penkin Hill would mean relocating an improved play area to another local open space, as nearby as possible.
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What next Consultation open until Friday 2 July 2021 Our formal consultation on these proposals is now open until Friday 2 July 2021.
Supporting residents with additional needs
This means that during this time, we’re asking for your thoughts and views on the options. We’re seeking to understand how the community feels about these proposals, to make sure we take this into account when we make a decision.
If you have additional needs, please let us know when registering for the session – this will help make sure that the sessions are accessible for you.
Your views will be included in the information that is considered by the NCH Board in July when they look at which option to take forward.
Face-to-face events remain restricted due to COVID-19 regulations.
We still welcome further views after this date, but we may not be able to take them into account in our recommendations. Join our online session We’re holding an online session specifically for Penkin Hill residents, to talk through these options in detail and talk to you about what these options could mean, and what you think about them.
Tuesday 22 June 2pm You will need to pre-register for the session, and a link to attend will be sent to your e-mail address. Please make sure you have provided the correct e-mail address. If you’d like some help in registering, please get in touch with us using the details on page 13. The session will be recorded, and links will be shared by text message and e-mail after the session.
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If you’re not sure if your e-mail/mobile is up to date, please contact us.
Information for residents
Why aren’t NCH holding events in the community?
The safety of our residents and colleagues is our number one priority. We’re continuing to review guidelines and the number of COVID-19 cases in the local community, and we will restart community events when it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, we understand that online engagement may be difficult for residents without internet access. We’re offering one-to-one socially distanced doorstep visits for residents with accessibility needs or who don’t have access to the internet during the consultation process. Visits will be offered on a case-by-case basis by our Community Services team. Please get in touch with us using the details on page 13 to request a visit.
Scan this QR code with your smartphone to register
Contact us Talk to us We completely understand that this may be an uncertain time for residents and leaseholders. We have dedicated contact information for any questions or concerns you have about this work.
Wesley Ford Community Services Officer Wesley.Ford@newportcityhomes.com E-mail the project team directly at community@newportcityhomes.com
You can contact us at any time during and after the consultation period.
FAQ
When will residents be told what option will be happening? We will update affected residents as soon as possible, and we expect to share information with residents and leaseholders during August and September. We understand that this wait is an uncertain time for affected residents, and we really appreciate your patience whilst we look at the possible options and carry out surveys to help us fully understand what work may be required before making a decision.
Why are you involving residents and leaseholders in this before you know what work will be happening? We appreciate this is a slow process and we understand that this may be worrying to residents and leaseholders who want to know what work will be taking place. However, it’s important that we take the time to get this right, and make sure we’re making decisions with all of the available information. It’s also important we talk to residents about what we are doing from the start so that any decisions are informed by the views of our residents.
Why has NCH carried out work on sprinkler installations and other work if we’re looking at demolition, isn’t this a waste of money? The safety of our residents and leaseholders is our highest priority. Any option that we’re looking at -such as possible refurbishment or regeneration may take some time to deliver because we will need to go through further design, consultation and review and implementation stages. Sprinklers and other work may be required more quickly.
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I want to decorate during this time. Can I? It is the decision of residents and leaseholders on whether to carry out any decorating work during this time. We understand that residents may wish to wait to carry out any non-essential decorating until a decision has been made on what work, if any, will be carried out. It’s important to note that any option that we’re looking at, such as possible refurbishment or regeneration, may take some time to deliver because we will need to go through further design, consultation and review and implementation stages. We welcome individual discussions if you’d like to speak to us before making a decision. If NCH needs to demolish a substantial number of properties in one area, how can we guarantee people will not be asked to move out of the area? We’re not able to guarantee anything at this stage as work is still to be decided. However, our first priority is that any refurbished and new homes benefit local residents. If you 14
Information for residents
need to move as part of this process, our aim would be to re-house you in a refurbished or new home within your local area as part of the works process. If you wanted to move away from the area, we would try to facilitate this where possible. We would talk to you about your needs in terms of location and home and we would work with you to try and meet that need.
Any work required would be carried out to make sure your home remains fit for the future. It may also be possible that work is required to meet current legislative requirements set out by Welsh Government, and so may need to take place to keep residents safe.
Ideally, we would aim to re-house residents only once, to somewhere that meets your needs. We would also pay compensation packages that are required by law.
The safety of our residents is our highest priority, and as a responsible landlord, we would work closely with you to explain why any work is needed and support you during this process.
I am a NCH tenant. Will I receive compensation?
Why is NCH still listing properties on Home Options which are part of this work?
If we need to move you permanently away from your current home and you have lived there for longer than 12 months, your household may qualify for a home loss payment, which is a sum set out by law. Currently, the Home Loss payment is set at £6,200. If we need to move you temporarily, then you may be entitled to a disturbance payment, to cover moving expenses.
Can I say no to work being carried out?
It’s important that where we can, we keep providing housing opportunities for people that need it. Our work to build 250 new homes per year will help to support the current housing crisis in Wales, and where we have empty properties which are suitable for residents to live in we will continue to let these whilst any decisions are made on work which may be carried out in the future.
Will leaseholders have to pay for work to be carried out? We’re not able to answer this question in full at the moment, as we haven’t made any decisions about what work will be carried out. Generally, leaseholders are asked to contribute financially to any works that replace elements of the property such as a new roof. If we are adding something additional to the property as part of our work, then leaseholders may not be charged in this circumstance. We will be working closely with our leaseholders over the coming months as decisions are made to clearly set out what work may be required and any impact this may have. What if I need to complete repairs to my leasehold property during this time, should I? It’s important to note that any option that we’re looking at, such as possible refurbishment or regeneration, may take some time to deliver because we will need to go through further design, consultation and review and implementation stages.
Deciding whether to carry out repairs is ultimately each leaseholder’s decision. However, whilst we understand that you may wish to wait and make a decision on any non-essential decorative work until after you know what work NCH may be carrying out, we would not recommend waiting to carry out any essential work required to maintain the structural integrity of homes. We welcome individual discussions on this if you’d like to talk to us further before making any decisions on repairs. You can contact us at any time through this e-mail address – community@newportcityhomes. com, or by contacting Wesley, our Community Services Officer on 01633 227614. Would I need to sell the flats back to you and will I be paid the full market value of the property at todays’ value? Should we need to purchase any properties in the future, we would work closely with leaseholders to purchase these properties through negotiation at the full current market value and follow a statutory process that includes paying compensation required by law.
What does statutory compensation look like for leaseholders? The statutory compensation consists of: • 10% of the property value for owner occupiers (up to £62,000) • 7.5% of the property value for owners who are not resident As a leaseholder, what happens to my ownership if demolition is needed? If we need to purchase your leasehold property as part of any refurbishment or regeneration scheme, we will look to work with you to buy your lease at the market rate and pay any compensation required by law. If you live in your property, we may also look to provide alternative home ownership options within the new development so that you can stay within your community. We may also be able to help you with other housing options depending on your needs and circumstances.
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Can I say no to work being carried out in my leasehold property? If we think that refurbishment work is required, we wouldn’t normally carry out refurbishment works to leaseholder properties. If you are a leaseholder and would like to join us in the refurbishment works, we may be able to consider an ‘opt in’ approach, where leaseholders could pay us to carry out the works to your home. There may be instances where we will need to carry out some work to your property e.g. replacement of balustrades and/ or windows and improvements
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Information for residents
to the communal heating systems to make sure that the block functions effectively. If this is the case, we will work with you to try to make sure that any arrangements are suitable for you. Detailed discussions with leaseholders will be necessary to confirm what works will be included. I’m a leaseholder - what will happen to my tenants? It’s important to note that any option that we’re looking at, such as possible refurbishment or regeneration, may take some time to deliver because we will
need to go through further design, consultation and review and implementation stages. Private tenants will be provided with plenty of notice of any upcoming changes as work develops. We also provide statutory compensation to private tenants as required by law. If tenants have to move out as part of ongoing work, it is the responsibility of the leaseholder to make sure this happens. We would work closely with any affected privately renting residents to identify any support we may be able to offer.
Notes
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Information for residents
Tell us what you think We’re asking for views from residents and leaseholders on the possible options we’ve talked about in this booklet. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can remove and return this leaflet to us by post using the prepaid envelope provided. An online version of this survey is also available – scan the QR code with your smartphone to access it.
What do you like and/or dislike about option one? (Take no action)
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
What do you like and/or dislike about option two? (Refurbishment)
What do you like and/or dislike about option three? (Build new homes)
You can share your views with us online - just scan this code with your smartphone camera.
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Resource Reg. No. 2110