Housing association Salix Homes has unveiled its plans to invest more than £20million improving social housing across Salford over the next year.

The landlord, which owns 8,000 homes in Salford, has announced its investment programme for 2024-2025, which will see 1,366 homes undergo improvement work.

A £10million eco-transformation at neighbouring tower blocks Grey Friar Court and White Friar Court in Greengate forms a key part of the investment programme, aiming to make the buildings greener and more energy efficient.

Salix Homes is also installing sprinkler systems in five more of its tower blocks, meaning 14 of its 20 tower blocks will have sprinklers, with the remaining blocks to follow.

Other improvement work includes new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, roofs, rewiring and heating systems to hundreds of homes.

Sue Sutton, Chief Executive at Salix Homes, said: “As we continue to build new homes in Salford, we also remain dedicated to investing in our existing housing stock to ensure our customers have the high-quality, safe and sustainable homes they deserve.

“This investment programme is one of our most ambitious yet, aimed at significantly enhancing our customers’ quality of life by creating safer, cleaner and greener homes and communities.

“Sustainability is a key priority for Salix Homes – projects like the eco-transformation at Grey Friar Court and White Friar Court are pivotal in reducing our carbon footprint, tackling fuel poverty, and supporting Salford’s journey towards a greener future.

“Additionally, the installation of sprinkler systems in five more of our tower blocks underpins our ongoing commitment to building safety, and we are very proud to continue making a positive impact on the lives of our customers and the broader Salford community.”

Work is already well underway at Grey Friar Court and White Friar Court, with the scaffolding now erected. The work is being carried out by Salix Homes’ principal contractor Casey and includes external wall and roof insulation, new windows and ventilation; while the façade and balconies will be completely rendered and transformed.

An eco-friendly ground source heating system will also be installed, which, combined with the external insulation will improve the thermal efficiency of the building and help reduce energy bills. The state-of-the-art heating system works by harnessing the natural heat from the ground, rather than burning fuel to generate heat.

Salix Homes secured £4million from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to help fund the tower block project, following a successful bid from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on behalf of social housing providers across Greater Manchester.The SHDF scheme provides financial support to social housing providers and local authorities to undertake energy efficiency and decarbonisation measures. The Government has set a target that all social housing should have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of a ‘C’ rating by 2030, as part of the net zero programme to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, while Salix Homes has committed to becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2038.

The five tower blocks to get sprinkler systems over the next year are Floral Court and Cheshill Court in Broughton and Black Friar Court, Newbank Tower and Riverbank Tower in Greengate.

The improvement work will be carried out by Salix Homes’ partner contractors, including Casey, Connolly and Emanuel Whittaker.