The Ministry for Housing has announced that the refurbishment of Bishop Canilla House is in its final stages.

A statement follow below:

In 2017 the Ministry for Housing committed to refurbishing Bishop Canilla House before it fell into further disrepair. Unfortunately, this building was not properly constructed at the outset and this has resulted in tenants suffering from numerous problems, principally continuous damp problems mostly from water ingress arising from defective building elements.

The substandard nature of the design and construction of the building has not assisted in the refurbishment process. Unfortunately, it has been plagued with additional unforeseen challenges, arising from factors pertaining to the original design and the construction of the building. This has been further exacerbated by the poor condition of some of the main parts of the building, such as the roof. However, with very close supervision from our in-house professionals, works are progressing in a diligent manner without compromising on the quality, albeit not at the pace that was originally envisaged. There have been some unforeseen setbacks that, regrettably, have resulted in a slight delay in the completion of the refurbishment, only by a few months.

The works carried out so far include, but are not limited to the following:

• the total replacement of all the communal floor tiles;
• painting of all masonry surfaces in the communal areas;
• the provision of enclosed balconies;
• the replacement of all windows and roller blinds;
• the main insulated render system (the final render coat (colour) is currently being applied);
• after some issues surrounding the main roof, this part of the works is now progressing apace and should be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Additional work items included in the refurbishment works are the provision of a new pergola and new lantern roof amongst other ancillary and peripheral works.

Once the above works are fully completed and the scaffolding is lowered, the final phase or sequence of the works will be the replacement of the lantern roof with a much-improved design to complete the external refurbishment of Bishop Canilla House.

The newly installed stretcher lift has been a valuable addition to Bishop Canilla House, and facilitates and assists medical staff during emergencies.

The Minister for Housing, Samantha Sacramento, said: “I am very proud of the steps being taken to refurbish this defect-plagued building, a building which should have been properly designed and constructed from the outset, having been completed back in the year 2000.

“Our elderly community are very important to us and we aim to restore and improve the quality of life of the residents of Bishop Canilla House by improving the environment in which they live to the highest standard. Tenants were suffering from long standing severe damp and water ingress problems, many since they initially moved in. We could not allow this to continue. It is unfortunate that there have been some unforeseen setbacks and the completion of the works has taken slightly longer than were advised. However, works are now significantly progressed and reaching completion, which is envisaged for June.

“As with all refurbishment works, there may have been some inconvenience, but this will be well worth it in the end. Not only will our refurbishment address the longstanding water ingress issues since the first tenants moved in, but it also includes the much-awaited replacement of existing vertical sash windows with the more user-friendly double glazed horizontal sliding windows with roller blinds. This improvement also shows the commitment and continuous upkeep and maintenance so that the building does not once again fall into a state of disrepair.”

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