Refurb Projects July 2018

SOCIAL HOUSING
Head to the bathroom to future-proof longer term tenancies
Housing providers are being
offered a new solution to
help accommodate the
needs of the growing
number of older private and social
renters- a market sector that has
more than doubled in a decade.
Closomat, Britain’s leading
manufacturer and supplier of toilet
technology for elderly and disabled
people, is developing a range of
stylish fixtures to future-proof homes
to accommodate tenants’ needs as
they change with age.
Central to the package are
Closomat’s wash & dry (automatic
shower) toilets. The units look likeand
can be used as- conventional
WCs, but have integrated douching
and drying, which can be selected as
each user wants or requires. The
douching and drying processes save
the user having to wipe clean- or be
wiped clean- with toilet tissue, of
benefit for example with the onset of
mobility, dexterity impairing
conditions.
Closomat is the only wash & dry
toilet supplier in the UK to
manufacture in Britain. Its range
covers contemporary wall-hung WCs
to floor-standing automatic height
adjustable variants. Uniquely in its
sector, it is the only company that
also has an in-house service &
maintenance team, ensuring timely
facilities management of the kit.
“The bathroom is the most
common room to be altered under a
housing adaptation, and changes to
the toilet one of the most common
alterations therein,” explains Robin
Tuffley, Closomat marketing manager.
“Installing a Closomat at the outset
can save that disruption and cost.
Uniquely too, our brand leading Palma
Vita can be retrospectively accessorised
to accommodate changing needs, so
further future-proofs the capital
investment.
“Provision of such fixtures also
means the tenant isn’t being forced
to live in unsuitable accommodation,
or have care, during the often lengthy
process of organising the adaptation.
In private housing, wash & dry toilets
are becoming more widely known
about, and viewed as an aspirational
fixture that enhances the user’s
wellbeing and intimate hygiene. In
this sector, the concept can be used
as a marketing tool, enhancing the
appeal, rentability and rent level of
the property.”
The Centre for Ageing Better is
already lobbying for housing providers
to change their approach, and provide
longer-term tenancies, and more
accommodation for older people.
Many potential tenants do not want
the financial burden of selling their
existing and buying a new, more
appropriate home. Many can’t access
social housing but can’t afford to buy.
Research shows older tenants tend to
be more satisfied with renting too.
Adds Robin Tuffley, “Research
suggests that up to a third of 60 year
olds will be renting by 2040, so it’s a
market that is going to expand, and is
therefore worth accommodatingeven
in such detail as bathroom
fixtures.”
Closomat’s website www.clos-omat.com
covers all technical details in
terms of selection and purchase, and
includes details of ‘try before you buy’
centres, specification clauses, and
‘how it works’ videos.
Tel: 0161 9691199
www.clos-o-mat.com
Cheshire East and High Peak to receive major boost
following Trust’s five-year plan
Living standards, housing stock
and local communities in
Cheshire East and High Peak
are set to benefit from a
major boost with help from Peaks &
Plains Housing Trust’s five-year plan.
The plan, which sets out how the
Trust will help to improve lives and
local communities, will see a total of
£30million invested across both
Cheshire East and High Peak. This
will be used to make its customers’
homes safer, warmer and more
comfortable places to live.
The Trust will help address the
national housing shortage by
building 750 high quality homes for
affordable and private rent and sale.
It has also pledged to deliver
ambitious regeneration plans for
areas like Macclesfield to make it an
attractive and sustainable
community for all. This includes
regenerating Moss Estate and
injecting new life into derelict
buildings in the town centre to
transform the area.
In response to customer
feedback, Peaks & Plains will also
continue to develop its digital
services over the next five years to
deliver a first-class, convenient and
accessible service for tenants, from
24-hour repairs booking to even
slicker online rental payments.
The Trust is committed to
improving lives, having
demonstrated this over the past year
by investing £2.7million on housing
improvements, supporting well over
9,000 people through its wellbeing
services, and building 117 new
homes across Cheshire and the High
Peak.
Tim Pinder, CEO of Peaks & Plains
Housing Trust, said: “Over the next
five years we will continue to be a
great landlord and deliver first class
services to new and existing
customers.
“We want to create homes in
neighbourhoods that are sustainable,
vibrant, well connected and
thoughtfully designed, including
regions like Cheshire and High Peak.
“Innovation will be key to
ensuring we do this over the next
five years. So, we want to move
away from a one-size-fits-all
approach and use technology to
enable us to better understand
customers’ individual needs. We’ll be
working in partnership with experts
across all we do to ensure we create
great places to live and deliver first
rate services.”
For more information on the fiveyear
plan, please visit
www.peaksplains.org/media/24434
1/Five-Year-Plan-2018.pdf and a
summary of the key points can be
found below:
FIVE-YEAR PLAN SUMMARY
• Priority objective 1: Be a great landlord
• Be clear about what we do for our customers and what we expect in return.
• Priority objective 2: Invest in and enhance existing homes
• Invest £30 million in the upkeep of our homes.
• Priority objective 3: Create great places to live
• Deliver ambitious regeneration plans for Sunderland Street, Macclesfield Town
Centre and the Moss Estate in partnership with key players in the region.
• Priority objective 4: Build 750 new homes across all tenures
Build 750 quality homes mainly for affordable rent, with a third for market
rent and sale, trial modular construction to build our experience and
capability in this area, increase efficiency in new builds.
26 JULY 2018, REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS