A FORMER library in Winchester has been converted to social rented accommodation.

Library House which used to house the library, which has now been moved to the Carroll Centre welcomed its first new tenant this month.

It comes after it was agreed the building would be converted into council social rented accommodation as part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) property conversion programme.

Winchester City Council's Portfolio Holder for Housing Caroline Horrill praised the scheme.

Cllr Horrill said: “There are currently over 2,000 applicants on the Council's Housing Register waiting for appropriate housing and a high proportion require one-bedroom accommodation so this unit is a welcome addition to the housing available in the Winchester district.”

Planning approval was granted on 4 February 2016 and since then the Council has been carrying out works to convert the building into a one-bedroom ground-floor flat. The cost of the works is approximately £37,000 - much cheaper than building a new property of the same size.

Works included alteration of the layout to provide a one-bedroom property, new uPVC double-glazed windows and doors, a new kitchen, bathroom, electrical re-wiring, boiler and heating system, re-lining the ceilings to improve the acoustic insulation between the ground- and first-floor flat and providing a parking space.

The new tenant at Library House, Angela Pittman said: “It is brilliant that I have been offered a tenancy with Winchester City Council. I am very happy.

“The property is lovely. I thought it would be on the small side but it is a really good size and I also get to have a garden. It means a lot to me. It will help me get on with my life after being in temporary accommodation with shared facilities for a number of years.”