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Village homes are so-lar cosy
Retired factory worker Bronwen Scudamore and her husband had put up with 30 years of drafts, large heating bills, and an outdoor toilet in their 1950s three-bedroom home in Westerleigh, Gloucs. The row of four prefabs had been earmarked for demolition since 1991, so South Gloucestershire Council teamed up with Sovereign Housing Group to replace the row with five high-spec affordable homes for a village with one of the lowest social housing quotas in the West of England. Bronwen, 61, says: "We were in limbo when we found out they were knocking them down. We didn't want to decorate, and the council didn't want to spend on repairs. And we were both due to retire, so we didn't really want to buy at that age." Last July, Sovereign moved on site, and the Scudamores took the opportunity to head off on a tour of England in their caravan. They moved back in March 2005, and couldn't believe the transformation. "We are over the moon," she now says, "It's so cosy, and the solar panels have saved us a lot off our heating bills. My husband has bad knees, and loves the downstairs shower, as it's much more comfortable. And the office can be turned into a bedroom later on, if either of us have mobility problems." "We have more space than in the old place, and the natural airflow system stops it getting stuffy. It keeps the air clean." "All they build round here are high priced homes and pensioner bungalows, but it's a close community, and our neighbours didn't want us to leave." Published 05 June 2005 |
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