Optimal Design and Build secures contract for derelict homes revamp

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Optimal Design and Build has won an award for restoring eight derelict homes in Glastonbury through as empty property initiative by Mendip District Council.

A cash grant of £120,000 helped the company bring the flats, which were devastated by fire and empty since 2003, back into use as part of a £450,000 initiative from the council.

The company won a prize in the council's Built in Quality awards.
Partner of the firm, Martin Quartermain, who also worked on the site, described the state of the building before the makeover as "horrific" but has now helped transform it into an eye-catching housing development.

The council provided £15,000 for each of the eight flats in Glastonbury.
The council offers owners of empty properties a range of services to help them give a new lease of life to their buildings, including grants, rent deposits and private sector letting, under the Let's Move Mendip scheme.

Councilor Maureen Brandon, Mendip District Council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "Empty properties are a wasted resource, and with the demand for good quality affordable housing in the district remaining high it's vitally important that the council continues to tackle this problem.
 
"Schemes like this one in Glastonbury show that with council investment we can positively affect the lives of several families. These families who were facing housing difficulties can now move into new homes in a building, which until a few months ago remained empty and boarded up."