They have been upgraded to improve energy efficiency, keep bills low and reduce carbon emissions.
Behind the colourful homes is a partnership made up of Carbon Co-op - a cooperative that helps communities to work together to reduce home energy usage - and Stockport-based B4Box - an award-winning training provider and contractor offering learning opportunities and green jobs to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“If someone asked me if I’d do it again, I would,” says David Kay, one of the residents who has benefited from the work, which is funded by 100% grants through Carbon Co-op and Manchester City Council.
“The house is one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint,” says Kay. Homes are responsible for 35% of UK energy use, and emit 20% of our carbon dioxide emissions. “To be honest, reducing my carbon footprint was one thing but I am also hoping it will reduce my bills and improve the air quality inside the house”.
Cold, damp and inefficient homes are unhealthy to live in and cause misery and health risks - making upgrade schemes such as this one in Levenshulme all the more important.
Those behind the project believe it could create a blueprint for the rest of Greater Manchester to follow, though there are many challenges to overcome. Finding multi-skilled construction workers who have the right training and knowledge to do the work is one.
Jonathan Atkinson, co-founder of the Carbon Co-op and Retrofit Lead, says that working in partnership with a multi-skilled training provider and contractor like B4Box is key to reducing the impact on residents and making the job go smoothly.
“The construction industry can sometimes feel oppositional, with each trade focusing on their own bit,” Atkinson says. “Part of the success here was working collaboratively with multi-skilled contractors… When we came to problems we sat down together.”
Jamie Hough joined B4Box 15 years ago as a trainee, now he trains other multi-skilled construction workers in the Stockport workshop. He thinks the multi-skilled model has helped to make the Levenshulme retrofits a success.
“Instead of sending three vans from three different trades, we send one van with three people in it who can do the whole job,” Jamie says. “That means we’re not clogging up these narrow streets with three cars, and we get to know the residents. It’s a big thing letting someone into your home. They feel they can trust us.”
Having this kind of understanding of people and place is important too. Atkinson says that Carbon Co-op chose Levenshulme for this area-based retrofit because “we knew there were community organisations here we could work with”. They were able to build relationships with low-income residents who might benefit from a retrofit through local community hubs, Levenshulme Inspire Centre and Levenshulme Old Library.
For Kay this trust was important: “I’d enquired about home improvement schemes before, but didn’t want to go with someone who was trying to sell you something. I was really attracted to their [Carbon Co-op’s] people power message.”
Kay says he felt involved in the upgrade of his home from the start to the end and was able to make his own choices - including the eye-catching blue and orange colour combination - which has proved a talking point.
“Neighbours have chatted to me and then asked: ‘How come it [the blue insulation] sticks out more?’” He says. “People seem genuinely interested in knowing more.”
Kay also describes the security of being able to access a grant: “I’ve lived here for nearly 30 years. I live alone. It’s an old end-terrace house so there were all sorts of issues. I went in with an open mind, but I’m not sure I could have taken it on if it’d been a loan because of the age of the house and type of house.”
Aileen McDonnell set up B4Box in 2008 and they have since trained and employed over 2,000 people in Greater Manchester. McDonnell, who sits on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s retrofit taskforce, is confident that their model is “infinitely repeatable” across the country.
Libby Hewitt, a young trainee, has loved working on the retrofit houses in Levenshulme because it has given her an opportunity to learn a whole range of skills - from fitting triple-glazed windows, to draught-proofing doors and installing loft and external wall insulation. These measures will all prevent residents' homes from leaking heat, but it has also given Hewitt a positive feeling of “learning something for my future”. She feels “the more people that learn now the better”.
A greener economy in Greater Manchester could create and secure over 256,000 jobs across all sectors in the city-region by 2038 with 90,000 in retrofit alone, according to the Manchester Combined Authority. These colourful houses are a glowing example of what a green economy could mean for Greater Manchester - brightening the Levy streets in more ways than one.