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Wednesday, 18th July 2007

Converted to meet the real need

Carmel Thomason

CONVERSION: St. Paul's Apartments
CONVERSION: St. Paul's Apartments
GORDON Brown is expected to unveil plans for thousands of new council homes as part of his commitment to more affordable housing.

The right-to-buy scheme, introduced by Margaret Thatcher, has seen the government’s housing stock shrink by a third. But the new Prime Minister has announced that he wants three million affordable homes built by 2020.

In recent years social housing has often become synonymous with council ghettos or substandard accommodation. However, new schemes across the region are already challenging this view.

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St Paul’s Apartments on Garside Street, near Bolton town centre, is a stunning new conversion of an old church into 13 flats on two levels – it is also social housing.

The development, with its stained glass windows and marble pillars, is a million miles away from what many imagine when they think of housing association or council accommodation.

The Grade II listed building, which ceased to be a working church in 2003, was renovated by Great Places Housing Group following its successful refurbishment of Spinner’s Hall in the town.

Peter Bojar, assistant director of development at Great Places, says: “We’re providing stunning new housing in an up-and-coming area just out of Bolton town centre. It will be ideal for tenants who work locally. Our scheme is part of wider efforts to promote and encourage the development of high-quality housing in and around the centre of Bolton and we expect more developers to follow our lead.”

All 13 apartments have been let through Homes For You to people on Bolton’s housing waiting list, with rents at £70.50 per week for a two-bedroom flat and £63.75 for a one-bedroom flat.

Each flat is kitted out with carpets, blinds, washing machine, cooker and fridge and the first residents move in from July 26.

Stephanie Booth, 34, one of the new residents, says: “I was lost for words when I stepped inside the building. The central space is amazing and the windows are so beautiful, with a lot of the original features still in place. I thought that during the renovations the church might have lost its character, which is obviously not the case. I saw this advertised and applied – I still can’t quite believe I’m going to live there!”

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