The council is celebrating as 18 new affordable flats are ready for tenants to occupy them in Tilehurst very soon.
Reading Borough Council has built an 18 flat apartment block where the Norcot Youth and Community Centre once stood, with tenants set to move in early this Summer.
Of the 18 apartments, 10 are two-bed and eight are one-bed, coming with 19 car parking spaces and a new community garden.
Some current tenants were given early access to view the new homes earlier this month.
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One current tenant Mrs Bird said: “The flats are lovely. The upstairs one I saw was great, with nice views and a really good bathroom. I can picture myself in here. My current house is lovely but the garden is big and getting unmanageable so I’m interested in downsizing”.
More council homes are being prepared across the borough that will be ready for future occupants later this year.
Of these, three homes are being prepared in Foxhays Road and two in Wentworth Avenue, Camelford Close all in Whitley, and further homes are also being prepared in Ian Mikardo Way in Caversham and Circuit Lane in Tilehurst.
The council has announced that all of the homes are being built to ‘passivhaus’ standards.
‘Passivhaus’ meaning literally ‘passive house’ are buildings that are made in such a way that they maintain an almost constant temperature – therefore reducing the need for them to be heated.
Additionally, a new community centre for the Dee Park estate is close to completion, as councillors attended a topping out ceremony recently.
The building will combine a new hall with facilities to support new and existing community groups, a children’s centre, office workspace and a wellbeing hub to offer advice and support, with hopes for it to open in the summer.
Councillor Ellie Emberson, lead member for housing (Labour, Minster) said: “Our Housing team are working tirelessly to create the affordable new homes that the people of Reading need and deserve. We have our larger developments underway and I am excited to see the Lyndhurst Road flats finished for residents to move in.
“We are creative with all land and the innovative and resourceful use of infill sites at other locations means we can build council homes in places that aren’t obvious candidates for development.
“The new community centre in Dee Park will be a fantastic space for local residents to make use of and highlights, along with the enhancing of Wensley Road High Rises, our commitment to enhancing existing Council housing as well as building new homes."
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The council has submitted a plan to make upgrades to 31 homes it owns in the old Norcot estate.
Improvement work involves fitting new external wall insulation, installing air source heat pumps and triple glazed windows and doors.
The council also wants to upgrade central heating systems and make roof adaptations.
You can view the application by typing reference 220190 into the council’s planning portal here: http://planning.reading.gov.uk/fastweb_PL/welcome.asp
The works are due to be approved at a council planning committee meeting on Wednesday, March 30.
They relate to council houses in Bramshaw Road, Wimborne Gardens, Thirlmere Avenue, Ringwood Road and Lyndhurst Road.
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