We’re working closely with the Somerton community to consider how we can improve the area through future regeneration and refurbishment activity.
Why Somerton?
We know that our homes in Somerton aren’t at the quality that we would like them to be. Our previous extensive refurbishment programme did not have the results that we were hoping for.
We know that any future work we carry out in Somerton has to be right for our residents, and for the wider community. Our main focus is working with the community throughout this project, to make sure that your views are taken into account.
Phase one: Options appraisal 2021
The first part of our work took place in 2021.
We carried out surveys on a number of our homes, to understand their condition and looked at how we might make them as future proof as possible, which included considering how to meet the zero carbon standard set by Welsh Government.
We engaged with residents who might be affected by any future work we carry out to understand how they felt about their home and community. This included the residents of 171 homes owned by Newport City Homes, and 151 private homeowners who we also included in our initial plans.
We used the information from the surveys and feedback from residents and developed four options to talk to the community about
Option one: Take no action
One of our early options was to not take any action. This means that we would not carry out any additional work in Somerton outside of our normal planned maintenance schedule. 58% of residents who responded to our survey disagreed with this option.
Option two: Refurbishment
Our second option was to focus on extensive refurbishment of existing properties. This would mean that existing NCH residents would need to move from their property in order for this work to be carried out. 44% of residents who responded to our survey supported this option.
Option three: Building new homes
This option explores demolishing existing homes and building new ones to benefit local residents and the wider community. 48% of residents who responded to our survey supported this option.
Option four: A mix of new homes and refurbishment
This option would mean building some new homes and demolishing some existing homes in key locations and then refurbishing the remaining homes. This was based on specific designs in two locations across Somerton. 36% of residents who responded to our survey supported this option.
What option are we taking forward?
We are taking forward option three, building new homes. However, there may be some places in Somerton where building new homes may not be possible. Where this happens, we may look at refurbishing existing homes instead.
In considering the options, we decided that
- The opportunity to build new homes on Somerton may offer the best long-term option for the local community. However, this needs to be looked at in more detail, particularly with affected homeowners
- In areas where regeneration may not be possible, we will need to investigate a refurbishment option that addresses the problems with the properties
Here are the results of the consultation survey.
Working with the community
We know that there are a lot of feelings from the community about our work. Many residents are in favour of regeneration but are concerned about what impact this will have on their own circumstances, and many homeowners are worried about what this could mean for them.
Our current focus is on working closely with the community and gathering more information which will help to shape our future plans.
In October 2021 we started survey work through our consultant Michael Dyson. We have been engaging closely with homeowners and tenants to survey as many homes as possible in Somerton, which will help us understand where homes may have significant issues, such as damp, and which areas do not have these issues. This information helps us build a more informed picture of the estate and is in response to community feedback about the presence of damp in homes.
We have also established a Resident Steering Group who meet regularly. Minutes of these meetings are taken and shared on our website.
Finally, we know that homeowners are concerned over the potential financial impact that future work could have. We’re recruiting a Financial Advisor to support homeowners throughout our work and offer independent advice and support. 18 homeowners are helping us with the selection and procurement process.
Our work so far has focused on residents who may be directly affected by this work, and more information on the properties affected is available below. We understand that the wider community are also interested in the Somerton project, and we will be starting our next stage of communications and engagement activity over the coming months.
Timescales
Please note these timescales are currently estimated and may change. In summary, we expect:
|
2022 |
This year will focus on working with the local community, making sure we have the right information to make key decisions and the design and planning process. We will be working towards submitting a planning application at the end of the year, We may also look at a pilot refurbishment project to consider the practicalities of the works needed |
|
2023 |
The planning process is currently taking around 9 months and if successful we would then need to start the process of selecting the contractor. We expect that residents will be part of this process. We may start rehousing residents at this time in preparation for works to start and will give affected residents plenty of notice and support at this time |
|
2024 |
This is when works may start, including both refurbishment and regeneration. The exact number of phases and timescales is to be considered in the work we will carry out in 2022. |
What communication have we shared with the community so far?
We have listed communications we have sent to Somerton residents below, along with the links to online sessions we have held with the community.
We also engage with the community on a regular basis through the Somerton Estate Facebook group, where we respond to questions and post updates.