Nearly £100,000 revamp begins to bring 'hobby rooms' back into use for Byker estate
Work has begun to transform two grade II listed hobby rooms on the Byker Estate.
Karbon Homes was awarded over £98,000 through Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund to breathe new life into some of the community spaces in Byker.
The estate is one of 37 heritage sites across England to receive a grant.
The fund is led by Historic England and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Work will include new external timber windows and doors, plumbing, roller shutters and a full electrical rewire to ensure the sites are ready for community use again.
Property maintenance, compliance and refurbishment company CLC will be undertaking the work.
Victoria Keen, Place Partnership Strategic Lead at Karbon Homes, said: “It’s fantastic to see work starting on the hobby rooms. CLC were selected as they have a great reputation and experience of working on listed buildings.
“We’re very proud of the estate's heritage and so for us it was important we worked with an organisation that understands this.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the process of refurbishment and of course the end product which will be two brand new facilities that will no doubt benefit the community for years to come.”
Regional Director North Louise Brennan, Director of Regions for Historic England added: “The Byker Estate is one of the most important examples of post-war housing design in England – more importantly it is home to so many people.
“We are pleased to support Karbon Homes in bringing these Grade II* listed hobby rooms back into active use for residents.”
Work on the hobby rooms is expected to be completed towards the end of March.