A block of flats with collapse-risk concrete in its roof will be refurbished to house refugees.

Works started at Town Centre House in Banbury this week to rebuild the roof which contains reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The improvements will include fire safety upgrades and remodelling to make some of the units more family friendly.

The repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The 36 flats will be used in the long term to assist with the district’s wider housing pressures.

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Councillor Nicholas Mawer, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Cherwell District Council, said: “We have an ambition to drive up the quality of social housing in north Oxfordshire, and although we manage a relatively low number of properties, we are determined to lead by example.

“With repairs to the roof needed anyway, we are taking the opportunity to invest in a thorough refurbishment of Town Centre House.

"This forward-thinking project will ensure that tenants can benefit from secure accommodation for years to come.”

The council took over the management of Town Centre House in 2016 for use as social housing.

The government alerted local authorities about the potential risks of RAAC concrete in 2022 when, the council relocated tenants as a precautionary measure.

The council said given the costs of repairing the RAAC roof on the leased building, buying Town Centre House was the most cost-effective long-term solution for the taxpayer.

Under the terms of a grant it received from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Local Authority Housing Fund the first letting of the flats will be for refugees who have moved to the district on government resettlement schemes.

 

 

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