Colchester Garrison has recently benefited from a project that has breathed new life into four previously empty properties, turning them into light, bright and energy efficient homes for future Service families to enjoy.
In 2020, the Government announced that £122m of fiscal stimulus funding was available to improve the UK’s Service Family Accommodation (SFA), and since then, Amey and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have been working together to identify properties across the UK requiring an upgrade with focus on improving the lived experience of families and delivering a value for money project.
The properties were empty for several years and due to an extremely low void margin for Service family homes in the area, the fiscal stimulus funding provided the perfect opportunity for our teams to bring the properties up to the Government’s Decent Home Standard and back into the Station’s core housing stock.
Before work could begin, the four homes were surveyed to ensure they met the required funding criteria for the internal upgrade work, whist external work was funded via the Regional spend. Each home has undergone a complete refurbishment which includes a new kitchen and bathroom, an electrical rewire and a heating system upgrade. Additionally, all internal doors, flooring and curtains have been replaced and new uPVC windows and doors, together with loft insulation, have been installed.
The Garrison Commander Lt Col Rankin visited the newly refurbished homes before Christmas and said:
“Having visited some of the newly refurbished SFA across Colchester, I am delighted to see the progress being made with ongoing upgrades and improvements. It is clear to me that real thought has gone into how best to utilise this recent injection of funding and how enhancements to the lived experience for our families are being made. As part of this initiative, kitchens, bathrooms, internal and external doors, roofs, porches etc across the estate are being improved and it is so important that SFA is a home from home for our families.”
Amey’s Project Manager, Jennifer Monaghan, worked closely with supply chain partners, SER Contractor Ltd, in consultation with Tina Demark, DIO’s Housing Estate Manager, to carefully manage the scope and standards. The programme was delivered within timeframe with the properties now being available for allocation this year.
The four properties are part of a programme of ten homes that have recently been completed at the Garrison, with some already occupied by delighted families.