I was really honoured to be invited to the official opening of the Battersbys Hat Works estate today (not that it is finished yet).
Along with Navendu Mishra we had a tour of the new homes within the factory building, it was amazing to see the history that has been retained and it was really interesting to meet with a member of the Battersby family to talk about the past and the future.
This estate shows what can be done when community and need is placed before profit, it is a result of the legacy of the late Councillor Sheila Bailey who was instrumental in the forming of Viaduct Housing.
With the announcement of funding for affordable housing I will be pushing for more of this kind of development not just apartments in the town centre.
Yes there are things that need finishing and I took every opportunity to raise this during the event whilst also celebrating the positive step of 144 new homes, proper homes. We just need to make them affordable next.
As we move forward we will keep in touch with residents to ensure everything is finished as planned and I have had commitments from the project team that this will be done as quickly as possible and to the highest standards.
