Manchester City Council has been shortlisted for the UK Housing Awards 2016 in the Outstanding Local Authority of the Year category.
The shortlist placement was awarded for the council’s project management of the partnership to establish a veterans’ village, working with the BBC’s DIY SOS programme, charities Walking With The Wounded and Haig Housing and key construction partners.
The aim of the project was to create a veterans’ housing community within the existing community on two streets in east Manchester, where empty homes were blighting the area.
Completed as part of the BBC programme, the first phase of the project saw eight of the street’s empty homes refurbished to create three larger adapted residential homes for veterans and their families, one standard-size property.
A north west base for Walking With the Wounded was also established, from which they provide a range of advice and support services for veterans.
The entire street also benefitted from street scene improvements with disabled access, a planting scheme, and each of the 62 properties on the street received new doors and windows, and rendering to the front of the properties.
Manchester City Council is involved in the second phase, now underway to bring further empty homes on the street back in to use as homes for veterans.
Cllr Bernard Priest, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This project captured a huge outpouring of community spirit. Hundreds of trades and local people gave their time to achieve a collective goal: to support veterans and their families to lead a better quality of life.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Tuesday, 26 April 2016.
