WHEN Paula McLoughlin first moved to Brunswick at the age of six, life in the Manchester neighbourhood couldn’t have been more different than it is today.
Now, more than 40 years on, the 50-year-old gran is seeing first-hand the benefits of a £106million masterplan to transform the estate… and so is her family.
Paula and her daughter Karina, aged 24, are two of the first tenants to move into a brand new home in Brunswick… and all in time for the birth of Karina’s twins.
Their three-bedroom house on Oregon Close is one of 41 new properties for social rent built by the S4B consortium, with the figure rising to 200 by January 2020, including 60 apartments with a supported care facility.
For Paula, the move to a new home in time for the arrival of her grandchildren is “one of the best things to ever happen to me”.
“I love living here in Brunswick but my old house was getting very old and tired,” she says. “When I was told mine was one of the properties to be pulled down to make way for new things, and I was offered a new home on the estate, I jumped at the chance.
“All of my family live here in Brunswick and we are very happy. My grandaughter Sinead, who is only three, comes to stay with us at the weekend and we take her to see her great-grandad. They love going to the new play area on Glenbarry Close.
“I couldn’t be happier right now, and we couldn’t wish for a better start in life for the new babies. Bringing them into the world in this lovely new home is wonderful”.
The regeneration of Brunswick will also include new road links, new community allotment area with orchard, new shops, community facilities and a new neighbourhood office.
The scheme is being delivered for Manchester City Council by S4B, a consortium involving contract manager Equitix, housing association Contour Homes, maintenance specialists Mears and construction firm Galliford Try.
Brendan Blythe, regional director for Galliford Try Partnerships, which built the new homes, said: “In the Brunswick community, there is a great need for housing for rent and as a company we are delighted to be supporting Manchester City Council and the S4B Consortium to provide quality new homes.
“We are delighted with the excellent feedback we have received from the residents who have now moved in, and wish them every happiness in their new homes”.
Since the launch of S4B in January 2014, other improvements made as part of the £106m masterplan include:
- 70 homes in Lockton Court and 72 homes in Lamport Court have been converted or refurbished by S4B, with new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and balconies installed. The high-rise blocks also benefit from refurbished lifts, car parks and communal areas.
- Similar improvements at two further blocks – Silkin Court and Artillery Court – are due to be finished in May and September this year.
- Refurbishment of 448 other homes, including new bathrooms, kitchens, windows, doors and other improvements.
- Construction of 35 new properties for sale. This figure will rise to 66 by the end of 2016.
- Completely revamping a multi-use games area in Gartside Gardens and installing a new purpose-built play area for the under-10s at Glenbarry Close.
- Supporting 143 local people into work and 47 people into trainee courses.
For more information please contact S4B Manchester on 0300 555 0128 or visit the Facebook page.