Wheatley transforming homes in the east with £3.6m investment

Hundreds of homes in Wheatley Homes East communities in the east of Scotland have benefited from the investment, which saw a range of upgrades including the installation of innovative heating systems, replacement windows and new bathrooms.

Of that £3.6m, £360k was spent on bathroom replacements, £300k on new windows and £225k on roof replacements.

A range of investments were made to improve energy efficiency and to help Wheatley Homes East tenants heat their homes more affordably with £250k spent on energy and insulation on pre-1919 tenements, £165k on new modern low input electric storage heating for more than 50 homes and £150k on new boilers.

Other enhancements saw money invested in external refurbishments to tenements, environmental improvements and boundary wall renewals and external painting.

Frank McCafferty, Group Director of Repairs and Assets at Wheatley Group, said:

“This investment in housing across Wheatley Homes East communities is helping make homes warmer, safer and more comfortable for families in Edinburgh and West Lothian.

“Wheatley is committed to ensuring all our homes and communities remain great places to live and this investment forms part of our extensive programme of improvements in our customers’ homes and new investment in neighbourhoods over the coming months and years.”

The £3.6m investment included:

• £165,000 on new modern low input electric storage heaters for 56 homes;
• £150,000 on new boiler replacements for 35 homes;
• £300,000 on new windows for 50 homes;
• £250,000 on environmental improvements and boundary wall renewals in the Gracemount area;
• £360,000 on bathroom replacements for 87 homes;
• £312,00 on 77 new kitchens;
• £225,000 on roof replacements;
• £1.1m on external refurbishment to Edinburgh’s historic pre-1919 tenements Rosemount Buildings; and
• £250,000 on energy and insulation improvements to 26 pre-1919 tenements to help people with their energy bills.

Wheatley Group, which owns and manages over 93,700 homes including Wheatley Homes East, was recently named as the UK’s biggest builder of social housing over the past decade.