Council to house refugees in Banbury’s Town Centre House once roof work completed

The council say that refugees who have moved to the district on government resettlement schemes will be housed in the 36 flats.

Following this, the building, which the council hopes will be ready before the end of the year, will be used in the long term to assist with the wider housing pressures.

The council will house the refugees to meet the terms of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Local Authority Housing Fund, which has helped to fund the repair work.

Cllr Nicholas Mawer, portfolio holder for housing, said: “We have an ambition to drive up the quality of social housing in north Oxfordshire, and although we manage a relatively low number of properties, we are determined to lead by example.

“With repairs to the roof needed anyway, we are taking the opportunity to invest in a thorough refurbishment of Town Centre House. This forward-thinking project will ensure that tenants can benefit from secure accommodation for years to come.”

Town Centre House was taken over by the council in 2016 after it secured a £1 million grant from the Homes and Community Agency to transform the empty office buildings into 36 flats.

In 2022, all of the building’s tenants were re-homed after the government alerted local authorities about the potential risks of RAAC concrete, which was found in the building’s roof.

Work rebuilding the roof of the building began this week.