Improvements to council homes - Capital projects

The Planned Works and Direct Delivery Team

The Planned Works and Direct Delivery Team will be delivering programmes throughout the borough to improve council homes and areas.

These programmes will include estate improvements, kitchen and bathrooms works and windows and door installs and many more. 

Our Decent Homes Project has been improving council homes across the borough.

Between January 2022 and July 2023 we replaced:

• 524 Bathrooms
• 275 Kitchens
• 950 Front entrance doors
• windows in 151 homes
• roofs on 115 houses

About the team

We are a team that are made up of experienced Housing professionals, which includes Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Clerks of Works and Resident Liaison Officers.

If you have a query about current works, please contact resident.liaison@havering.gov.uk.

If you have a query about future works, please contact the Housing Asset Team, housingassetmanagement@havering.gov.uk.

Our address

Planned Works and Direct Delivery
Housing and Property Services
London Borough of Havering
Havering Town Hall 
Main Road 
Romford
RM1 3BB

Improvement to Council homes and areas

Kitchens and bathrooms

The kitchen and bathroom refurbishment programme is the biggest programme run by the Planned Works team.

Our contractors Mears will be continuing to deliver the works.

A kitchen refurbishment may include, but not restricted to:

• new kitchen units
• new worktops
• decoration of walls, ceiling and woodwork
• a new sink and taps
• electrical rewiring and a new fuse board
• installation of smoke and heat detectors
• installation of extractor fan (where required)

A bathroom refurbishment may include but not restricted to:

• a new bath, with lever taps.
• a new toilet pan and cistern
• a new wash basin, with lever taps
• full tiling around the bath up to the ceiling
• decoration of walls, ceiling, woodwork, door and frame
• a ‘splashback’ tile course above the wash basin
• new anti-slip floor covering

Residents who are a part of the kitchen and bathroom programme will get Tenant Guidance Packs which will include information of the works including the different stages, some helpful hints and aftercare instructions to ensure the new kitchen and bathrooms stay new for longer.

Windows and doors

The window and door renewal programme with contractor Equans is going well with over 100 properties having received new windows.

In addition, our fire door installations are progressing very well with 30 doors per week being done and almost 300 installs in 2022/23 to date.

The windows and doors, including fire doors, which our team have installed so far have been praised by a number of residents with great feedback.

As part of this program we are also now looking at upgrading the communal door sets at the same time.

We now have New Door Maintenance Guides for Council tenants and leaseholders to know how to maintain their door to the best of their ability. This will be passed on to all residents once their new doors have been fitted.

Estate improvement works

Work continues on our borough-wide Estates Improvement Programme with our contractor BTS Property Solutions.  

We are currently working at Malan Square and Bader Way to replace the redundant pram shed blocks with modular storage, and work is progressing well on the Chudleigh Road Estate.

We hope to commence work on the Shenstone Gardens Estate in September.  

Gutter cleaning

Our Gutter cleaning contract started in April 2023.

This service will clean and clear the guttering to all our residential blocks around the borough using a sky vacuum/camera cleaning system.

Each block will receive the service once in a three-year period.

The work will help to reduce the chance of water ingress which can lead to damp and mould.

It will also give Havering an opportunity to identify other important roof level repairs which can then be undertaken in good time.

Retrofit

We have been working with BTS property solutions across the borough for many years and have completed 350 Insulations and external wall installations.

Last year, we successfully bid for a grant of £1.27m from the Government to carry out energy saving improvements to some of our poorer performing homes.

This is in addition to the £5m already budgeted by the Council for this work.

Works include installing external wall insulation, loft and cavity insulation and new windows and doors to improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel bills and reduce the level of carbon produced.

We are now close to completing these works to over 130 homes.  

External and internal decorations

We maintain the outside of our properties as well as the inside communal areas of our blocks. This work includes all previously painted/stained surfaces.

Our intention is to carry out outside redecorations to all previously painted surfaces.

This may include decorating to:

• all front and rear entrance doors and frames
• side and front gates
• garage doors and frames
• all other previously painted surfaces, unless otherwise stated

Within this work we may also include: 

• gutters
• down pipes
• external cladding
• insulation

Any necessary filling, repairs, replacements and making good to walls, ceilings, doors and windows will be carried out as part of the works.

Painting of the internal common parts include walls, ceilings and all previously painted areas.

The walls and the ceiling will be painted with a zero rated fire retardant paint.

The product used is fire protective, harder wearing and has a longer life.

Hilldene and Farnham

Project has not started yet. This project will be an estate improvement for the area. Things may include new balconies, painting done throughout the estate and roof work.