Liverpool-based housing association Riverside is investing more than £1.4 million to refurbish 29 long-term empty homes in the Smithdown area, making them available to social housing tenants.

The refurbishment works centre on properties on Holmes Street, Longfellow Street, Wendell Street and Whittier Street. On-site works began in March and are expected to be completed by the end of July.

Riverside’s in-house repairs service is leading the refurbishment programme to bring the empty homes back into use. This includes vital structural work such as roof replacements and improvements to external walls, as well as internal improvements, from painting and decorating to recarpeting.

The extensive programme of works is being supported by more than £750,000 from Liverpool City Council’s Local Authority Housing Fund, alongside a £1.4m investment from Riverside.

The new programme follows on from Riverside repairing and reletting five former empty homes on nearby Greenleaf Street and Cullen Street. Riverside will also restore a further five empty properties in the neighbourhood later this year.

Ian Gregg, chief property officer at Riverside, says: “We are delighted to be working with Liverpool City Council to bring these much-needed homes back into use.

“These essential works will make an important contribution to reducing the city’s social housing waiting list. We will be providing safe, high-quality homes for families and helping to bring a renewed sense of optimism and stability to the local area.”

Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, cabinet member for communities, neighbourhoods & streetscene at Liverpool City Council, adds: “It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with Riverside on this project and I am delighted to see more homes being made available for those in need of social housing.

“These vital renovations form just one part of the wider programme of improvements that we are carrying out to revitalise the local area. It has also been fantastic to work closely with Riverside in recent months to install new CCTV cameras and I look forward to continuing this successful partnership in the years ahead.”

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