Horsham District Council has agreed to spend £250,000 on the decarbonisation and conversion of a former cemetery worker’s house.
The house – Hills Cemetery Lodge – sits at the entrance of the cemetery, off of Guildford Road.
It has been declared surplus to requirements by the council and will be converted into a four-bedroom home suitable for assisted living.
The budget for the work had initially been set at £225,000 but, during a meeting of the cabinet, members were told that was not enough, so a contract worth £250,000 was approved.
A tender process was carried out in the summer but the council has not named the successful contractor.
Ruth Fletcher, cabinet member for local economy & place, said: “We do have a high need for more affordable housing for our people and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to decarbonise the building, remove the oil fired heating, replace it with an air source heat pump and adapt the building for accessible living – something which we are also short of.”
The work will include the installation of a wet room, the reconfiguration of the ground floor into an open plan layout, removal of the chimney, and the installation of a ramp and doors to make the ground floor wheelchair accessible.
As well as replacing the oil heating system with an air source heat pump, the insulation will be improved and the windows replaced.
The entrance to the property will be moved so that it is not via the cemetery gates. Once ready, the new home will be let through the council’s affordable housing company.
