Balcony upgrades to benefit dozens of homes

Dozens of Swansea homes will soon benefit from improved balconies.

Swansea Council is embarking on an improvement scheme that will see balconies upgraded at 48 low-rise flats in Mayhill, Morriston and the city centre.

The work, scheduled for completion by the end of March next year, follows on from balcony upgrades that have already been carried out at 36 homes on Woodford Road in Blaenymaes.

Low-rise flats on Calland Street, Davis Street, Glandwr Crescent, Hosea Row, Mysydd Terrace, Pentretreharne Road, Siloh Road, Trewyddfa Gardens and Nicander Parade are among those soon set to benefit.

Cllr Andrea Lewis, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Next Generation Services, said: “This scheme is among many that are on-going to help our housing stock reach the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2020.

“Despite the considerable financial challenges we face as a council, we’re hugely committed to tackling poverty in Swansea. The availability of high quality council homes is clearly vitally important if we’re to reach that goal because they help improve the health and wellbeing of many families across the city.

“Once this current phase of balcony upgrade works has finished, other similar improvements will follow in future at properties in Penlan and Sketty.”

Balcony upgrade work will include repairing the balcony slabs, the renewal of floor surfaces and the renewal of rails.

Swansea Council work to install new kitchens and bathrooms in its housing stock is also on-going. About 1,650 homes will have benefitted by the end of March next year, with many more due to benefit in future years. The installation of new bathrooms and kitchens has already been completed in Waunarlwydd. Works are currently taking place in Penlan before similar upgrades happen in areas like Gendros, Bonymaen, St Thomas and Port Tennant from early next summer.

Work is also on-going to refurbish council-owned blocks of high-rise flats. Internal improvements include new kitchens, bathrooms and rewiring work. External improvements include new roofs, insulated wall cladding, glazed balcony panels and replacement windows. Shrubs, trees and plants are also being introduced outside the blocks.

Cllr Lewis said: “The combination of these works is benefitting tenants and boosting the appearance of communities as a whole.”

Work on two blocks of flats at Matthew Street, which started in January, should be complete by March 2017. On-going improvements at three blocks of flats in Clyne Court are scheduled for completion in May 2017, with work on one block in Jeffrey’s Court earmarked to finish by the late spring of 2016.