Proposals aimed at resolving the future of hundreds of Bristol's ageing pre-cast reinforced houses (PRCs) has been unveiled by the city council.

A project aimed at providing a solution to the future of 557 homes in Lawrence Weston; Sea Mills; Henbury and Lockleaze had been agreed by Cabinet in December 2005 and negotiations with contractors were under way in 2009.

However, the impact of the recession on the housing market and the need to come up with new proposals as a consequence, led to officers being asked to carry out a review of options once the tendering process was halted in May.

Councillor Mark Wright, Cabinet Member for Housing and Service Improvement, said: "The recession, and a change of emphasis, over the last nine months has meant that we have come up with an alternative solution.

-- Advertisement --

"I am well aware that the community has a strong desire for one that minimises disruption to residents and I think these proposals will deliver that.

"The new proposals involve a mixture of repair - in the overwhelming majority of cases; a comparatively small amount of rebuilding where necessary, and, in some cases, a number of homes will need to be demolished and the land sold for re-development in order to help finance the proposed new scheme.

"The next step is to present the new proposals to residents and to listen to their views. We will be writing to every household affected, advising on how they are affected and inviting them to a consultation event in their area next week. We will also have consultation material available to view on our website and in local libraries which will offer people the chance to give their feedback."

Surveys carried out on a tenth of Parkinson and Woolaway PRCs in recent months revealed that, in most cases, the extent of deterioration was not as great as had been feared and they were therefore capable of economic repair.

(CD/BMcc)