New Birmingham dormer bungalows prove to be home sweet home
Fourteen new bungalows have been handed over to residents at White Farm Road, in Sutton Coldfield.
The Birmingham Council bungalows, which are largely dormer-style, have been designed specifically to meet both the needs and aspirations of people over the age of 55 who are looking to downsize in later life.
Built by affordable housing provider Lovell for Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust with the help of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the properties are part of a pilot scheme alongside a second development of 11 new bungalows in Selly Oak. Solar PV on these bungalows to provide free electricity for the residents was installed by Eco2Solar.
The properties have been designed to include a bedroom and bathroom upstairs and a bedroom and shower room downstairs, offering greater flexibility for residents as their needs change – for example, reduced mobility.
Additionally, almost all of the residents moving into these new bungalows were previously living in family-sized accommodation, meaning their move has also benefitted others on the council’s housing waiting list.
Cllr Tahir Ali, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for Development, Transport and the Economy, and Cllr John Cotton, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, were among delegates at this week’s handover ceremony.
Cllr Ali said: “As well as providing a high quality and very flexible home for life for residents aged 55 and over, these bungalows have also helped ensure that more family-sized homes, which were previously being underused, will be available for families in need. This is certainly an opportunity I want to see extended across the city.”
David Gough, regional director of Lovell, said: “We’re pleased to be handing over these high quality new homes to people who need and appreciate them, and also to be playing our part in Birmingham City Council’s efforts to ensure residents are able to enjoy a home that is perfectly suited to their needs – whether that is older people in these bungalows or younger families moving into the larger homes that are vacated.”