Barlow Road: Major refurbishment

About £650,000 is being spent on a major refurbishment programme to improve sheltered housing in Cheltenham’s Barlow Road.

An estimated £400,000 of this will be used to upgrade the mains water pipework. This follows on from reports last summer from residents that the water was discoloured and ‘filmy’. Subsequent testing confirmed that the water was safe to drink and use, but due to the age of the pipework it was recommended to replace it to prevent further build up. The project is being managed by Lovell Partnerships Ltd. Work is due to start this autumn and is anticipated to take up to 16 weeks.

A further £250,000 is to be spent upgrading the warden call system from analogue to digital, in time for the government’s digital switchover in January 2027. This will ensure that residents can continue to be supported to live independently at home with the reassurance that help is on hand if needed. The project is being managed by Ventro Group Ltd and will include new ‘nurse call’ alarms in each flat for tenants to contact the support team, 24 hours a day. In addition new smoke and heat detectors will be installed where necessary and the video door entry system will be upgraded. Work started on 14^th September 2026 and is due to be completed in the autumn.

The investment by Cheltenham Borough Council’s Housing Services will be enhanced by the planned replacement of kitchens and bathrooms where these have reached the end of their useful life, in 2027 and 2028.

Cllr Flo Clucas, cabinet member for housing and customer services, said: “The level of investment in Barlow Road both this autumn and over the next two years, is significant and demonstrates that safety and wellbeing of our tenants are an absolute priority. The planned work will help ensure that Barlow Road remains a safe, secure and comfortable place to live for many years to come.

“The process to get to this point has been long and complex but this programme now gives us the opportunity to go further by replacing older pipework and bringing the building in line with modern standards, while also making important improvements to fire safety, security and communication systems.”

Cllr Flo Clucas added: “While these works do demonstrate our continued commitment to providing good-quality, safe homes for our tenants, we also recognise the impact, disturbance and inconvenience that works of this nature do cause. We are working closely with tenants to help minimise those impacts and we will continue to liaise closely with tenants to help keep them fully informed and minimise this disturbance as much as possible.”

For press enquiries, contact: communications, telephone 01242 264231, email communications@cheltenham.gov.uk.

Notes to editors

Barlow Road is one of nine sheltered housing schemes owned and managed by Cheltenham Borough Council and comprises 74 flats in six blocks, for older and disabled residents. It was built in the 1960s and includes a residents’ communal lounge, guest suite and an office. A manager is based on site Monday – Friday during office hours, providing housing related support. Council owned sheltered housing offers an affordable solution for vulnerable people to live independently with the knowledge and security that help is on hand if it is needed.
The property was re-roofed in 2023 and this included the addition of solar panels.
Following safety concerns in relation to water quality last August (2025), Cheltenham Borough Council was part of a multi-agency response including UKHSA and Severn Trent to determine water quality and public protection.
The water was cleared as safe to use but alternative provision including bottled water was provided as an option for those residents that wanted it.
Housing surveys can be complex and time consuming to complete (particularly housing of this nature).

Barlow Road: Major refurbishment

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