Fareham council signs off concrete safety works for balconies and stairwells at nearly 300 flats
Nearly 300 councils flats need to have concrete repairs to keep them structurally safe.
Fareham Borough Council’s executive committee has approved the work on concrete communal and private balconies, external concrete canopies, and internal stairwells at 288 homes.
The work will be carried out over three years from 2026 to 2029 at 18 blocks of flats, including six blocks in Bishopsfield Road, six blocks in Redlands Lane, and six blocks in Longfield Avenue, Nashe Way, Fairfield Avenue, and St Annes Grove.
The authority withheld the full cost of the works from the public at the meeting.
A council report said: “These contract works represent substantial and positive investment in the council’s existing housing stock.
“It ensures the flats remain ‘decent’ in line with the government’s Decent Homes Standard, and that the maisonettes remain structurally safe and free from hazards.”
At a meeting on November 3, executive member for housing Councillor Fred Birkett (Con, Fareham Park) said eight businesses put in bids to do the work.
The flats are primarily council owned but some are leasehold. The cost will be met from the existing Housing Revenue Account budgets with leaseholders paying for their repairs, members were told.
The name of the contractor and costs were not published by the council due to concerns this is commercially sensitive.