Cleator Moor

We’re at the early stage of consulting and are not considering full demolition of the entire estate. But we’d like to look at what options are available. Refurbishment is one of the options that could address problems, such as homes beyond their design life making them expensive to maintain. Or the current mix of homes that don’t meet community needs (for example, there are currently no bungalows and many homes are under-occupied or overcrowded).
We want to provide homes that better suit the needs of you, your family and the wider community.

We are over 12 months into our engagement with the community and we have had lots of great feedback from residents on what they feel is needed to improve the estates. One of the most popular suggestions was to build new homes on the cleared land on Keir Hardie Avenue. These plans have been developed, a public exhibition was held for the community in January 2019 and we received planning permission in August 2019.

An estate-wide plan for the remainder of the estate is currently being drawn up based on the feedback we have received from the community and we are aiming to present this plan to residents in the coming months.

We are not considering full demolition of the entire estate. We have been working with the community since January 2018 to identify the best options to improve and redevelop the estate and to address the most common problems residents have with their current home. Refurbishment is one of the options that we are looking into from the feedback we have received from our engagement with the community.

If the community decision is against demolition then we will focus on building on land at Wath Brow. If you decide selective demolition is the right approach, we’ll have more scope for new homes which meet the needs of the community.

We know that there are a number of challenges with housing on Cleator Moor. In 2018, 25 properties became empty and we have around 16 that are difficult to let. This could be because there are too many houses or the wrong size or type. For example, we have too many three bedroom houses and not enough people needing them. And having homes empty can lead to an increase in vandalism and anti social behaviour.

Some of the homes have structural problems, mainly because of the way they were constructed. They’re poor insulated and ventilated making them expensive to heat and creating condensation and damp issues for customers.

Many of the properties are close together making parking a challenge. The publish spaces are poorly designed and the links to the wider area aren’t good.

The properties have become difficult to maintain and we would need to spend £9.6 million on planned maintenance over the next 30 years to maintain the properties.

Low demand for housing in Cleator Moor along with limited grant funding availability meant the land at Keir Hardie Avenue had not been developed. Following community engagement, we will be including the cleared land on Keir Hardie within the regeneration plans as they are developed.

Since January 2018 we have held eight information gathering sessions, three design workshops and one public exhibition. From all of the feedback we have received, we were able to put a plan together. The first was to build new homes on the cleared land at Keir Hardie Avenue as we had an overwhelming number of residents advising us that this was a good option. Our second plan, which we are currently working on, is to put together an estate-wide plan for the remaining parts of the estate which incorporates all of the suggestions / ideas given to us by the community at our engagement sessions. We hope to be able to present this to you in the coming months. We will write to all residents to invite them to view the proposals as soon as they are ready.

As we have been consulting with the community for over 12 months, regeneration / refurbishment will go ahead in some form as per all our communications to date.

As and when plans develop, we will write to advise you.

It’s difficult to be specific at this early stage but in other areas benefits have included:

New, modern homes

• Access to home ownership through outright sales, shared ownership or other options
• Lower running costs through energy-efficient design
• More useable green spaces and open spaces
• Improved estate layout and design
• Improved community facilities
• Better access routes across the estate where required
• An opportunity to move to a Home Group property or from another housing provider (where possible) that is suitable for household need

Customers who wish to move away and have high medical or mobility needs will be assessed to ensure any aids and adaptations required will be installed in their new property away from Cleator Moor

Yes. All current tenancy agreements will not be revoked or changed and will continue as currently agreed for any affected customers should there be refurbishment or regeneration.

If you move to a new home on the estate you will pay the same rent as you’re currently paying, assuming it has the same number of bedrooms. If you move to a home with more or fewer bedrooms, this will affect the rent you pay.

If the regeneration plans involve you moving, we’ll hold one-to-one meetings to discuss the needs of you and your household and your preference of property type (for example, if you are looking to downsize and/or move to a bungalow) to ensure you’re provided with a suitable property that meets your requirements.

We will develop a standard approach for all customers which will set out the way we’ll support you if you need to move either temporarily while works are underway or permanently. This is called a Decant Charter and we will develop this specifically to meet the needs of the community once we know which regeneration or refurbishment options you’ve decided, if any. We’ll also explain our allocation policy in detail so you feel clear and informed about how this process will work.

Yes. We will pay each household the statutory home loss payment. This is a sum governed by the Land Compensation Act 1973, and the amount payable is fixed by statute. The payments are intended to compensate an occupier for the loss of their home due to the actions by the landlord. Since October 2019, the amount payable is £6400 per household (less any rent arrears).

All customers who move will also receive a reimbursement payment (called a disturbance payment), which relates to the reasonable costs of moving, which includes:

• Redirection of mail
• Telephone reconnection
• Sky/cable reconnection

In addition to this, Home Group will plan and organise your move with an approved removal firm and, if required, packing boxes/tape will also be provided.

Yes. If you need to temporarily move out of your current home due to refurbishment works, you will have the right to return to your original home.

As a Home Group customer, if you are required to move home as a result of the regeneration plans, you will be compensated the statutory home loss payment, currently £6,400 (less any arrears).

The regeneration will contribute to improving current property values in the area as well as better useable green and public open spaces. This will also improve the current estate layout and provide clearer accessibility and better community facilities.

Yes, we’re really keen to promote home ownership in our estates to retain families on the estate who want to purchase and stay, rather than move away.

As we are still developing our proposals, we are not in a position to commit to purchasing any homes at present.

Please get in touch with us if you require this in writing.