What is the minimum percentage of residents approval for the proposal to go forward?
We propose a simple majority of 51% of all residents over 16. We also want people to give qualitative feedback if they like, as well as a simple "yes" or "no", so that we can discuss ideas and any concerns that residents have. What different types of insulation are there?
Generally, insulation can be split into two main groups: external and internal. Internal is added to the inside of the building's wall and so would make the inside space smaller.
External insulation systems are often the most energy efficient and is needed to make homes as carbon-neutral as possible. It would help reduce heat loss and reduce energy bills for residents, plus improve soundproofing. It can be put on the roof and walls of the building. Insulation can have different levels of fire safety ratings. We will make sure that we only offer you A1 or A2-rated options which means they are completely non-combustible – for example made from mineral wool, and inert coverings like brick or render which do not burn, and without any air gaps. How disruptive will it be?
External wall insulation would be much less disruptive to residents than internal wall insulation and also mean no reduction in internal floor area.
One of the key conditions of this funding is minimising disruption to residents. There will be a focus on off-site construction, meaning minimal disruption on site as often occurs with traditional approaches to building work.
If residents make a decision now, are they committed to it or are there options later on to shape the design and delivery? If not happy then, could they reject the proposals?
The key condition of the funding is that we are aiming for a net zero carbon design.
There will be space for discussion and designing certain elements. If there are some elements that residents are really unhappy with, we would look to redesign those elements whilst minimising heat demand of the building.
For example, there will need to be some sort of insulation, so we couldn't go forward then completely remove insulation from the design, but we could redesign the kind of insulation and how and where it is applied.
Would the external insulation help with damp and mould on external walls?
When we insulate a property, heat will stay in the house for longer at a higher temperature. We will use modern ventilation approaches to help keep the right kind of air in homes, and there are multiple types of ventilation options that we can explore. The concept designs include mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) which would really help to reduce damp and mould, whilst reusing heat from homes by warming in coming fresh air.
How will we complete a thorough consultation process given the short timeframe?
We're using multiple channels to ensure all residents have the opportunity to speak with us if they want to – this includes a webinar, a drop-in at Treadgold House, phone calls, door knocking, emails and a WhatsApp group. How efficient would a heat pump be in different outdoor temperatures?
We are currently exploring different possible ways of heating the estate, including recovering heat from a sewer main that runs under the estate, air source heat pumps, plus hydrogen boilers. There are also different types of pump that we can explore, including air source and ground source.
Are there plans in place to help residents with disruption?
We're starting the internal refurbishment in Morland House and we have a range of respite options and plans in place to minimise disruption for residents and we're working on a respite brochure. We're continuing to improve our respite offer and this will be fully detailed and updated by the time works would commence in Treadgold House.
Will there be new homes built on the top of the building?
No, this is not currently part of our plans. In many ways, doing this level of refurbishment work would make this unlikely to be a future possibility, because it would then mean undoing some of the work.
What about investment into a playground or green space?
This is one grant that will fund significant improvement to the fabric of Treadgold House and the homes within. We know residents would like to see other things outside the block as well, such as a play area, and we are looking for other grants to fund these improvements.