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Almost £300,000 will be spent on new kitchens for residents in east Belfast, the Housing Executive has revealed.
Over one hundred Short Strand tenants occupy two and three storey homes built in the mid-1980s.
As part of the new £295,000 scheme the kitchen layout will be improved to provide additional space for kitchen appliances.
Electrical and plumbing installations will be upgraded and new floor covering and mechanical extract fans will be provided.
Tenants will be able to select their new kitchen units and work tops from a range of colours and finishes.
The kitchens are being installed under the Housing Executive's EGAN style approach to planned maintenance - meaning the contractor will be working more closely with tenants to ensure a higher quality service.
A Tenant Liaison Officer has been employed to work alongside our Schemes Officer; dealing with the process of consultation, improvement works and finishing touches.
Another aspect of the EGAN style scheme is that a 'show kitchen' will be completed before the main programme of work commences. This will give tenants the opportunity to see how the new kitchen will actually look in their home.
East Belfast District Manager, Richard Williamson, said: "One of the Housing Executive's core functions as a landlord is the planned maintenance service.
"We want to provide our tenants with the best possible service that we can in terms of quality, efficiency, value for money and customer satisfaction. And new kitchens are an excellent way to achieve this.
"This new contract requires high performance standards from the contractor, and performance will be monitored closely and assessed on a regular basis," added Mr Williamson.
Housing Executive tenant Martine Lundy said: "The old kitchen has been in the house since it was built so it'll be lovely to have a nice new modern kitchen.
"The show kitchen made it easy for me to choose the style I want and the fact that I was able to choose my own cupboards and work tops is the icing on the cake."
(PR/JM)
