North East housing association Bernicia has announced it will invest £210 million into homes, estates and communities over the next four years.
The investment will focus on building at least 600 new homes across the region, delivering major works to improve existing homes and neighbourhoods, and helping people into work.
Tenants’ views have helped shape Bernicia’s new corporate strategy which outlines how it will deliver exceptional services, sharply focused on customers’ needs at a time of major financial pressures on households.
The housing association owns and manages 14,000 properties, employs more than 550 staff across the North East and has an annual turnover of £90 million.
Over the next four years, Bernicia will:
· Invest £85 million in new housing, building at least 600 new homes
· Deliver £63 million of major maintenance works to improve existing homes and estates
· Spend £61 million on day-to-day and cyclical repairs programmes
· Ensure well over 90 per cent of its homes meet energy efficiency rating SAP C or above, five years ahead of Government target
· Pledge an additional £2 million to help local people into employment, creating a new employability team to work with regional businesses
· Generate £15 million of added social value for the region
Bernicia will commit additional resources to help tackle fuel poverty as households face a cost of living crisis. It will install more efficient heating systems into homes, fit extra insulation, photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps.
Bernicia has properties across County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and Teesside including offices at Pity Me, Durham, and its property maintenance and repairs division at Spennymoor.
Source: NE Times Magazine
