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The Broadway Refurbishment

18 October 2024
The BroadwayFurther details have been provided by the District Council. A November start is being planned. Scaffolding is to be erected in January 2025 to avoid any potential disruption to the commercial tenants during the Christmas trading period. More

Ground floor commercial tenants and residents of the first and second floor flats above should be receiving letters outlining a series of phased works over the next 12 months.


9 September 2024

We have previously reported in our news emails that the District Council was planning a refurbishment of The Broadway.

The tender process is now complete with the contract being awarded to Mulalley and Co.

The work is costed at £4.8 million and includes the blocks on both sides of the street. This will deliver external refurbishment and maintenance works to address issues of weathertightness and security, with full replacement of the roof in conjunction with other cyclical external building fabric repairs including window replacements, balcony and walkway repairs, and compliance work. An upgrade to the energy efficiency performance of The Broadway is included by increasing the insulation of the roof and fitting thermally efficient windows. A medium-term improvement plan will also be provided detailing future energy efficiency upgrades to make the building ready for net zero by 2050.

Work is expected to start in October or November, with the contract period being 12 months.

The Council has stated that residential and commercial leaseholders will be recharged a proportion of the cost in accordance with their respective leases. They recognise the bills will be significant and have said they will work with each leaseholder to agree payment terms that will lessen the immediate impact and enable leaseholders to pay sums owed over a period. Further details have not yet been announced, and the Council has said work will now start in earnest with making contact with individuals on the recharging details.

A dedicated website page will be set up for parties to be able to access information.

Further details are here (PDF, p186-192), with supplementary questions and answers here (PDF).

LRA Comment: At the District Council Cabinet meeting on 2 September when the work was discussed, LRA Cllrs along with Independent Cllr Stephen Murray raised concerns especially around the costs to be recharged to leaseholders and when such payment will be due to ensure they are fair and appropriate. LRA Cllrs also highlighted that a sinking fund (regular money set aside to pay for a future expenses) should have been in place in previous years to avoid significant costs being charged to leaseholders. The District Council acknowledged that this situation must not happen again and after the current work is completed such a fund should be in place. You can watch the relevant 30 minute section of the meeting here (starts at 1hr21min).

LRA will try to ensure the viability of The Broadway remains unimpaired both during construction, and after the works are completed. However the present administration at the District Council may not be so concerned.

Image: Google