Tower blocks to be refurbished as plans approved

Five high-rise apartment buildings in Wolverhampton will be refurbished

Plans to refurbish five tower blocks in Wolverhampton have been approved.

The high-rise apartment buildings on Boscobel Crescent will have their entrances, windows, insulation and lobbies improved as part of the renovations.

Wolverhampton Homes, which manages the buildings, said a new energy centre with a district heating system would also be created.

The eleven-storey towers, each with 42 flats, were built in about 1966 and their age meant that they were in need of updating, a planning document said.

The design and access statement, submitted with Wolverhampton Homes’ planning application, said the scheme was part of the refurbishment programme across all of the company's high-rise residential buildings.

The firm said the aim was to improve the living conditions of residents “by upgrading the energy efficiency, fire safety and comfort standards of their homes”.

Insulated cladding would also be installed and the lobbies of each tower would be rebuilt.

Wolverhampton Homes said the scheme would improve living quality for residents

Approving the application, a planning officer at Wolverhampton City Council said: “The proposed scheme would improve living quality for occupants.

"This includes improvements to energy efficiency, legibility, visual amenity and safety.”

They said there would be some loss of landscaping, including a tree, but added that the benefits of the scheme outweighed the harm.