Former troublesome Northampton flat block given green light to become 40 new family homes

Plans to transform single persons' accommodation into new 40 'modern family homes' in Northampton have been approved by the Guildhall.
Architect drawings show how Overslade House will look upon completion.Architect drawings show how Overslade House will look upon completion.
Architect drawings show how Overslade House will look upon completion.

After tenants moved out of Overslade House, in East Hunsbury, back in September, bosses at Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) submitted plans to Northampton Borough Council to transform the anti-social behaviour hot spot into an area for family accommodation.

The facelift will involve structural alterations to the existing building, which will include building new third and fourth floor accommodation, creating ground floor level apartments for people with disabilities and adding additional parking including six accessible parking spaces by the entrance.

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As well as this the flat block will get a new children’s play area, landscaped gardens - including raised beds and drying areas - and residents living on the top floor will all have balconies.

Dave Pickard Northampton Partnership Homes executive director of operations said: “There is a real shortage of family housing in Northampton and we have come up with a really modern scheme that includes private balconies or terraces for each apartment as well as communal outdoor space for children to play and families to come together.

"The location is ideal for families, with shops, schools and other services nearby with great public transport links.”

Back in 2015, the Chronicle and Echo reported how some residents of Overslade House were afraid to leave their apartments because of the anti-social behaviour of a group of residents.

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Their complaints included reports of motorbikes being driven around the forecourt in the early hours, fires and verbal abuse.

In 2017, people living in Overslade House were moved out en masse after a small group of yobs damaged all of the fire safety equipment there.

NPH moved the tenants of all 66 flats to temporary accommodation, after the fire safety installations were "maliciously damaged".

Since then, surveyors established the extent of works that were needed to make the building safe and to modernise the flats and communal areas.

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