Believe Housing invests £2.7m in village homes
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A £2.7million investment has transformed almost every believe housing home in a County Durham village through a major programme of internal and external improvements.
The housing association, one of the largest not-for-profit landlords in the northeast of England, has upgraded 70 homes in High Pittington.
David Taylor, Assistant Director of Assets at believe housing, said the whole-home improvement programme was delivered in phases over two-and-a-half years.
This means that a range of improvement works were carried out together to reduce future disruption for customers.
The programme was managed by believe housing and delivered by lead contractor Sunter Limited.
Around 60 to 70 operatives, including plumbers, electricians and roofers, worked on the scheme, which also helped apprentices gain hands-on experience and supported believe housing employees to develop new qualifications.
David said: “We understand that this type of large-scale improvement programme can cause disruption while work is taking place.
“That's why we plan these programmes carefully, carrying out as much of the necessary work as possible at the same time. While that can be challenging for customers in the short term, it helps avoid several separate rounds of work in future.
“Across the programme, homes have benefited from a range of improvements, including new kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems, rewiring, improved insulation and external upgrades such as new roofs, solar panels and smart render to replace pebble dash.
“As a result, the homes are more energy efficient and comfortable, look and feel better inside and out, and are well placed to meet customers' needs for many years to come.
“This was a major investment in High Pittington, and we thank customers and residents for their patience and support throughout the programme.
“We're also pleased the work supported a local family-owned business and helped create opportunities for people to develop their skills and careers in construction.”
Alongside improving homes for believe housing customers, the investment delivered wider economic and employment benefits by supporting a regional contractor and workforce, creating job opportunities and helping people develop new skills.
believe housing Project Surveyor Emily Axon completed a Level 3 qualification and a Higher National Diploma (HND) while working on the programme.
Meanwhile, Sunter Ltd, based in nearby Houghton-le-Spring, created two apprenticeship roles.
Emily previously worked as a Neighbourhood Officer for believe housing before retraining as a Project Surveyor, where she helps coordinate work in customers' homes and liaises with residents, contractors and tradespeople on site.
She said: "It was a great opportunity to change roles and learn while studying and gaining hands-on experience. I've really enjoyed it, and my background working with customers has definitely helped me in this role."
Scott Hutchinson, 21, from Fence Houses, joined Sunter Ltd as a multi-skilled operative and Tom Fishpool, 20, from Billingham, joined as a plumber. They worked on the High Pittington programme and other sites, gaining broad experience while completing their apprenticeships before securing full-time roles with the company.
Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Manager at Sunter Ltd, John Walker, said: “The security of long-term work through investment in social housing gives us the confidence to take on apprentices and develop our workforce in the region.
“We recruited Scott and Tom after believe housing put us in touch with Enable Futures and Hartlepool College and have been pleased to make those connections and create opportunities for people entering the industry.”
believe housing and Sunter Limited have now started a similar investment programme on homes in Bishop Auckland.
The work supports the aims of the be:ONE partnership, which brings together believe housing and contractors including Sunter Ltd to improve customer experience and efficiency while creating local jobs, developing skills and delivering social value.
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