Home Improvements
Between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2014:



We started work on a pilot project of eight Wimpey No Fines homes (built just after the war as temporary homes) to increase energy efficiency, reduce bills and improve comfort

We made great progress with our flagship Castlefield Regeneration scheme, setting up a panel of tenants and leaseholders who help make decisions about the whole project. We also started our consultations and shared initial ideas with the community
We invested more than £700,000 in the installation of wet rooms, stair lifts, and minor aids and adaptations to support tenants living in their homes:
Work Number completed
Shower/wet room 98
1 Bedroom 10
Bathroom adaptations 14
Stairlift 17
Ramp/Thresholds 2
Door entry/handsets 5
Hard standing 4
Other 16
Total 166


We published a 10 year plan for improvements to leaseholder homes and we continue to update the programme for tenants as it develops
Tenants choose all products and materials for improvements in their own homes

We work with our contractors to make improvements as easy as possible for those having work done in their homes. The team offers support throughout the whole process, giving help and advice to ensure that tenants have all the information they need and are happy with the work, from start to finish

The time taken to have an adaptation made in homes that need them, has reduced from 35.6 weeks to 21.1 weeks

We will receive £38,000 of grant funding from the Energy Savings Trust for air source heat pumps which we have installed at 19 homes, which has led to big energy savings for our tenants

We fitted more than 2,000 free carbon monoxide detectors for our tenants and leaseholders - every Red Kite tenant and leaseholder will have a detector fitted by the end of August 2014)


Continuing to deliver improvements that meet our promises

Improving 160 more of our ‘Wimpey No Fines’ homes to improve efficiency and comfort, having learnt from the pilot programme that we carried out

Offering the same benefits of the ‘Wimpey No Fines’ work to private owners who live in similar homes in the neighbourhood.


By giving tenants the power to choose our major works contractors, we have been able to focus on quality over cost, making sure that tenants get the work they expect for the best price

Tenants in refurbished ‘Wimpey No Fines’ homes are noticing a huge drop in energy bills, by £180 to £270 per annum!

We have allocated 10% of our major improvement budget over the next five years to local Small and Medium Enterprises to make sure that we support our local community by providing employment opportunities and supporting the local economy

Reviewing the way we do things and the materials we use and continually looking at ways to improve the way we deliver services.

Donna Barnard (Member of the Castlefield Regeneration Panel)

"As a member of the panel, I have seen Red Kite actively trying to recruit as many members as possible from all ethnic, household, tenure and financial backgrounds. The open day held in March was a great success and as a result more members have joined the panel. As the project nears the planning application stages, the panel hopes more members continue to join as the scheme progresses further.

Red Kite has empowered the panel by arranging a day trip to visit similar regeneration projects to help tenants understand the various options and problems so they can make decisions and shape the direction of the project. As with any major project, there have been some challenges along the way, but these have been explained and addressed in transparent discussions at meetings. All views and opinions are listened to and acted on when appropriate. Joining the panel is a clear way for tenants’ views to be expressed and filtered into the whole project."

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