Choice Housing has invested £290,000 up-grading one of its larger sheltered living schemes in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area. The changes at Tughan Court on the Bloomfield Road in Bangor form part of the housing association’s overall £20m capital investment programme this year.
Originally opened back in November 1980, the scheme – which comprises 43 homes – received a range of important upgrades. In collaboration with Project Manager Stephen Bunting and Foreman Andrew Gibson, work was carried out by CB Contracts (NI) Ltd who are part of The Bell Group – a leading property services business in the UK.
Changes centred around replacing each properties’ kitchen with new cupboards and doors and worktops. Square footage has grown by extending the communal kitchen into a previously unused room, with decorative work and the installation of new electrical wiring also part of the six-figure investment.
Wilton Farrelly, Choice Group Director of Asset Services, said:
“Tughan Court is a very important and long-standing Choice scheme in Bangor. It is well-established in the local community and well-known in the greater Bangor area which makes it popular and sought after.
“This investment will raise quality standards in these properties – something Choice places great emphasis on – and therefore helps to meet the needs and expectations of our current tenants.”
Tughan Court is well-connected to many of Bangor’s amenities, including the Bloomfield shopping centre. Tenants also benefit from the scheme’s close proximity to local convenience shops, medical practices, post offices, leisure centres and the town’s technical college. Each of the bungalows also have gas central heating and double-glazed windows to maximise their energy efficiency rating.
Wilton added:
“The investment has allowed for timely – and welcome – improvements to be made to Tughan Court by modernising the kitchen areas. Having spoken to tenants, we know how important a functional and modern kitchen is to them and we can confidently say we have successfully delivered on this.”
Choice provides a mix of supported, sheltered and general needs housing across Northern Ireland, providing over 12,000 homes across the region. In the Ards and North Down Council area, it currently manages 890 properties.
