Abandoned home transformed in Northallerton

An abandoned property which had become a target for vandals and youths causing anti-social behaviour has been transformed as part of a £135,000 scheme.

The property at 179 Ashlands Road, Northallerton, has been completely redeveloped by Broadacres and will soon be let to a family in housing need.

It follows a partnership between Broadacres, Hambleton District Council, Northallerton Town Council and Homes England to bring the two-bedroom home back to a liveable standard.

Broadacres, which has many homes in the Ashlands Road area, was approached by Northallerton Town Council after complaints were made about the state of the privately-owned end terrace property.

The Association does not have the power to compulsory purchase the property, so it contacted Hambleton District Council, which does have this ability.

However, rather than going down this often long and difficult route, the Council brokered discussions between Broadacres and the owner of the property and this resulted in the owner agreeing to sell the property to the Association.

Broadacres subsequently received funding of £40,000, from Homes England, the Government body responsible for delivering new homes, to put towards the cost of the redevelopment.

Work has included removing the trees, shrubs and weeds that had obscured the entire front of the property and tidied the garden, installing new double glazed windows, kitchen, bathroom, electrics, roof, cladding and gas combination boiler.

The most important work was around energy efficiency. This  has been improved thanks to insulated rendering, internal wall insulation and cavity wall and loft insulation. The old gas and electricity meters have been replaced with smart meters so the new tenant can keep track of how much energy they are using.

Broadacres’ Chief Executive Gail Teasdale said: ““To say this property was an eyesore would be an understatement. It was an overgrown jungle outside and the inside was no better and you can only imagine what it must have been like to live next to it.

“With fantastic support from Hambleton District Council, we seized on the chance to purchase this property so we could transform it into the modern, beautifully insulated home it now is.

“We are now looking forward to handing over the keys to the home to a local family.”

Leader of Hambleton District Council, Councillor Mark Robson, added: “We were delighted to be able to step in and rid this area of the anti-social behaviour this house was attracting.   It has undergone a complete transformation – and I look forward to seeing a new family move into the estate.”