Durham City Homes made improvements to nine of its community centres to ensure that they meet the fire safety standard required for all non-domestic premises.
The landlord’s Electrical Officer, Geoff Herron, said: “Our main concern is always the people inside our buildings and not the buildings themselves.
“Upgrading our community centres means that anyone using them can feel safe in the knowledge that the buildings meet the correct standards for fire safety.
“We involved the local fire brigade to ensure that they were happy with the upgrades we carried out.
“Some of the changes were simple but very effective, such as putting in new locks that don’t require a key internally so that people can exit easily in an emergency.
“We also installed new high efficiency LED emergency lights and systems that provide audio-visual warnings when heat, smoke or carbon monoxide are detected.”
The work was carried out for Durham City Homes by Group Property Services (GPS) – the division of County Durham Housing Group that provides repairs, maintenance and improvements.
The community centres in Durham that have been upgraded are: Arden House, West Rainton; Attlee Square Community Hub, Sherburn Village; Communal Hall, Esh Winning; Harry Carr House, Meadowfield; Silver Courts Communal Hall, Brandon; Southbrooke House Community Hub, Pittington; Woodbine Court, Pity Me; 16 Beaurepaire, Bearpark; 19/20 Sycamore Park, Brandon.
More information about Durham City Homes can be found at www.durhamcityhomes.co.uk