Frank Haslam Milan rises to the retrofit challenge in Bridgend
FHM delivers eco facelift thanks to Welsh Assembly scheme
Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) is proud to be creating greener, more sustainable communities across South Wales by working closely with the Welsh Government and Valleys to Coast (V2C) Housing Association.
The leading community regeneration specialist is delivering a £14 million investment programme on behalf of V2C. Over the next five years, refurbishments will be made to 560 non-traditional properties in and around Bridgend.
Using some of the most advanced eco technology on the market, FHM is helping to eliminate fuel poverty by cutting carbon emissions and reducing tenants’ household bills.
Improvement works in Bridgend include new A-rated boilers, roofing works with insulation, air source heat pumps, solar thermal technology and solar photo-voltaic panels.
Working on the Oakwood estate in Maesteg and the Glenview estate in Blackmill, FHM are delivering whole and partial house retrofits on behalf of V2C who received grants from the Welsh Government (WG) as part of the Arbed scheme.
The Arbed scheme, meaning ‘save’ in Welsh, is aiming to improve the energy efficiency in 6,000 homes across Wales. The scheme sets out to save people money and offer new employment and training opportunities, while reducing carbon emissions in a bid to tackle climate change.
In November 2010, FHM, which covers the Midlands, South West, South Wales, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside, opened the doors to its first complete eco-refurbishment at Oakwood.
Robert Gilleard is delighted with his newly revamped property at Oakwood where 87 properties and 12 flats have benefited from a range of eco features including external wall insulation to structural repairs, roof renewals and solar panels.
Delighted private property-owner Mr Gilleard said: ‘I have had external insulation put in to our home as part of the grant and I paid FHM for a new roof.
‘The house feels a lot warmer now and even though it’s only gone up a couple of degrees in temperature, it makes the difference between warm and cold.
The Keepmoat company took over the Oakwood contract when contractor Connaught went into administration. The Oakwood scheme has been financed using a combination of a grant from the Welsh Government, as part of the £30million Arbed scheme, contributions from Energy Companies Energy Commitment and V2C\’s own funds.
Communities are being transformed by the investment which applies to some private properties as well as social housing.
In Glenview, Blackmill, Bridgend, FHM has raised the benchmark by using a much wider range of eco technology when retrofitting 58 properties in a bid to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.
The scheme has committed itself to using green technologies including solar thermal panels to generate hot water, photo-voltaic solar panels to produce electricity and external wall insulation to help keep properties at their optimum warmth.
Coal fires have been replaced by air source heat pumps to generate central heating and hot water, helping to decrease carbon emissions.
Site Manager Chris Wright said: ‘We are very proud to be contributing to the Welsh Government’s Arbed scheme at Oakwood and Blackmill, as I believe it demonstrates our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, tackling fuel poverty and boosting economic development and regeneration in Wales.
‘The tenants on the estates we’re working on will all benefit from lower fuel bills as a result of the insulation we’ve put in, and the positive thing is that eligible private homeowners benefit from the Welsh Government grant\’.
FHM is now poised to extend the refurbishment programme beyond Oakwood and Blackmill as part of V2C Welsh Housing Quality Standard programme.
Retrofit works bring jobs boost to South Wales
FHM has carried out its pledge to create employment opportunities in South Wales by taking on eight apprentices. The trainees include displaced apprentice Jordan Harris who is working as a carpenter for FHM.
Creating training and development opportunities is integral to the culture at FHM and as a result, the company has exceeded Arbed’s training opportunities target by 60%. The challenge set by Arbed was to provide 156 weeks of training and development for every £1 million spent on the scheme.
‘We’re delighted to have gone above and beyond the targets set by Arbed for training and development as it demonstrates just how seriously we take personal development within the company,’ said Chris.
‘The hours of training provided by FHM extends to apprentices, our sub-contractors but also full time members of staff. We’re also delighted to be in a position to take people on for work experience placements through working closely with V2C and the Caerau training centre in Maesteg.’
Since working in Bridgend, FHM has been keen to build up a local supply chain to carry out improvement work to tenants’ homes. FHM is currently operating using 100% local labour which includes services from local companies such as Joyners and Transcast for external wall insulation and Fil Sol for solar technology.
Cementing FHM’s community support in Wales
To honour its commitment to the communities in which it works, FHM is continually seeking new ways of making a difference to local schools and community projects.
Through its work with V2C, FHM refurbished the community and staff room at Llangynwyd primary school in Bridgend. This formed part of the community benefits they offer to local organisations where they work. This project delivered a £5,000 face lift at the school and the work took just a week to be completed, carried out free of charge. The work included replacing the outdated kitchen and toilet area, installing a new kitchen, cooking and work space facilities for staff and pupils to enjoy and plastering and painting walls in the kitchen making an attractive area for pupils and after schools groups to carry out their cookery lessons.
The project also included contributions from our sub-contractors and suppliers such as D&M building and Howdens Kitchens.
Chris said: ‘When we visited the school we found that repairs and a full upgrade and renewal were needed – we were more than happy to help.
‘As a company, we go far beyond just bricks and mortar and we continually seek to invest in local communities wherever we work.’
‘We are very grateful for all the work that FHM has carried out to the school, it’s made a huge difference and they’ve done a really good job,’ said James Ridley, the Deputy Headteacher at Llangynwyd Primary School.
‘We can now open the room to community groups such as Rainbows which we couldn’t do before.’
Matthew Palmer, the Community Development Officer at V2C, added: ‘It is great to see the wider community benefitting from Valleys to Coast investing in their properties. The improvements to the community and staff room in Llangynwyd School by FHM will make it a really valuable and well used resource.’
FHM has extended its community support to other schools, including Llangeinor and Llangynwd, by delivering health and safety talks and providing information about careers in the construction industry.
Frank Haslam Milan
South Wales
<p<Parc-y-Bont, Unit 7 Brynmenyn Industrial Estate
Brynmenyn
Bridgend CF32 9TD
T: 029 2002 0018
F: 029 2084 9086
West Midlands
Regeneration House, Gorsey Lane
Coleshill B46 1JU
T: 01675 461661
F: 01675 461662