Mrs Chris Gilmour chats to Father Ian Stevenson, Padre 13 Air Assault Support Regt, Royal Logistics Corps in the upgraded kitchen
[Picture: MOD Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
One-hundred-and-thirty-six terraced and semi-detached homes are being refurbished by Defence Estate's housing prime contractor MODern Housing Solutions (MHS), as part of a wider programme to upgrade 800 Service Families Accommodation (SFA) nationally, in 2009/10.
An upgraded three–bedroom property opened at Colchester last week as a show-home to give residents a taste of things to come.
In all, 39 two-bedroom houses, 78 three-bedroom houses and 19 four-bedroom houses are getting an internal makeover including upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, new internal doors, and a complete electrical re-wiring. Energy efficiency is high on the agenda with new boilers being installed and insulation work being carried out on the roof-spaces.
The show-home is one of 25 houses being refurbished under the first phase of this project which began in March. The project is expected to be complete by Spring 2010.
Sergeant John Gilmour of the Military Provost Staff and his family currently live on the St Michael's estate and are due to move into a refurbished four bedroom home in September. Viewing the upgraded show-home, he said:
"There is a 200 per cent improvement and my first impression is that the house is immaculately presented and modern and I'm really looking forward to moving to my new home."
His wife, Chris, knows the area well, having been born and bred in Colchester to a family with a service background. She added:
"I am really looking forward to moving into my new home with my husband and four children. This property is a vast improvement on where we are currently living and our next house will be the best we've had yet. It is about time that this family accommodation was brought into the 21st Century."
Air Commodore Elaine West, Head of Operations Housing for Defence Estates said:
“There has been a legacy of under-funding in Service accommodation, but we are working hard to raise standards and bring real benefits to our personnel and families. This show-home is evidence of what we can deliver and how we are engaging with our occupants.”
Over the next ten years the MOD plans to spend over £3 billion on new-build, upgraded and improved living accommodation for the Armed Forces.