Whole house works
Places for People
- Lancashire and Manchester
- £20m over 4 years
- 4 years from 2024
Working to make homes decent for people across the north west
Connolly is working in partnership with Places for People (PFP) to carry out whole house refits and make homes decent for people across Blackpool, Haslington, Bolton, Blackburn, Manchester and Preston.
Our ongoing relationship with PFP helped us to mobilise quickly with agreements for storage already in place, allowing our team to focus on what matters most; making sure residents have everything they need, understand what’s happening and feel supported.
- The brief : Connolly was appointed by Places for People to carry out whole house works to homes across the North West, upgrading and modernising people’s living spaces.
- The challenge : Completing multiple workstreams simultaneously, meaning several trades were working in each home at the same time.
- The solution : Our site and customer teams worked alongside Places for People and residents to carefully coordinate workstreams, limiting no access issues and missed appointments, making sure that works could be completed on schedule. Clear appointments, joined-up trades, and regular communication helped reduce access issues and avoid delays.
Our scope of works included
- Full electrical re-wiring
- ECIR testing
- Kitchen installations, including full strip-out
- Bathroom replacements
- Heating upgrades
- Roofing works (pitched and flat roof)
- Window and door replacements
Connolly’s approach
Whole house works can be one of the most invasive types of works carried out in an occupied home. Multiple trades are often needed at different stages, all whilst customers go about their daily lives. For many people, especially those with additional support needs, this can be a daunting experience.
To make sure the experience caused as little stress as possible, we worked in collaboration with PFP, identifying residents who needed extra support in clearing areas where access was needed. We also decanted people into temporary accommodation where necessary, providing a safe space during works.
To bring properties in line with current standards, EICR testing and full electrical rewiring was carried out collectively by Team Connolly and EJF electricians, to give residents peace of mind that they can safely use appliances in their homes.
Small details made a big difference. During kitchen upgrades, we installed Baby Belling appliances where necessary. These temporary measures meant that residents still had access to cooking facilities and the ability to prepare meals at the end of each visit.
Communication was at the heart of delivery with our customer team, keeping residents informed through every stage. Providing updates, answering questions and making sure residents understand what is happening in their home, helps reduce anxiety and uncertainty throughout.
The programme reflects what matters most at Connolly: treating every home with respect and leaving a legacy that lasts beyond the works. Together with PFP, we are not only improving homes, but having a positive impact on resident’s lives.
Social value
Strengthening communities via a wide range of good causes
Places for People is an organisation that ‘doesn’t just maintain homes, they create places that thrive and work for everyone’. From foodbank support to careers events, Connolly has worked with PFP on several good causes over the last three years, including:
- Ongoing foodbank support via monthly volunteering
- £791 worth of gardening and power tools donated
- Resident filming event to showcase resident’s journeys through works
- Family support session to look after families through disruptive whole house works
- High school careers event to promote opportunities within the construction industry
Since 2023, Connolly has generated more than £1 million in social value and delivered 528 hours of employee volunteering across the north west, working in partnership with PFP to create lasting benefits for local communities. Together, we have provided 176 weeks of training to help people into employment, transformed a property into the Tunley Holme Community Hub, supported by Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP at its opening, delivered food donations through a festive appeal, and carried out major refurbishment works at Greenbank Court, where resident wellbeing was prioritised through regular engagement activities and community events.
Connolly has also extended its impact through charitable donations, including tools worth £791 to support community projects across Chorley, while creating learning opportunities for young people through partnerships such as We Mind the Gap, demonstrating a long-term commitment to improving lives, strengthening communities and creating opportunities beyond the homes and neighbourhoods in which we work.
A process refined over
four decades
- Framework mobilisation : Getting resource and infrastructure ready for delivery
- Scoping
and surveys : Agreeing the scope of works and budgets - Customer care, KPI and social value development : Liaising with residents and measuring community impact
- Project mobilisation
and delivery : Completing the works to the highest standards
Any questions?
If you have a programme of works that you’d like to discuss or would appreciate a chat about how to achieve more with less (because isn’t that always how it is!), please fire away.
