New water pipes and a digital alarm system for 74 council flats at Barlow Road, Arle, a year after tenants reported discoloured water. What changes, and when.

Cheltenham Borough Council is spending about £650,000 on its sheltered housing at Barlow Road in Arle. The biggest part, an estimated £400,000, replaces the mains water pipework. Tenants reported discoloured, “filmy” water there last summer.

The council announced the programme in a news release on its website. Testing after the complaints confirmed the water was safe to drink and use. But the pipework is old, and the council was advised to replace it to stop further build-up.

What is being done

The council’s release sets out three pieces of work:

  • New mains water pipework, about £400,000. Lovell Partnerships Ltd is managing it. Work is due to start this autumn and could take up to 16 weeks.
  • A digital warden call system, about £250,000, replacing the analogue one. Ventro Group Ltd is managing it. Each flat gets a new “nurse call” alarm to reach the support team 24 hours a day. This work started on 14 September and is due to finish this autumn.
  • New smoke and heat detectors where needed, and an upgraded video door entry system, as part of the same alarm contract.

The alarm work is timed for the national switch from analogue to digital phone lines, which the council puts in January 2027. The council says the upgrade means tenants can go on living independently, knowing help is on hand.

Kitchens and bathrooms that have reached the end of their life are due to be replaced later, in 2027 and 2028. The council has not given a cost for that stage.

The water problem last summer

The council says it was part of a multi-agency response in August 2025, alongside the UK Health Security Agency and Severn Trent. The water was cleared as safe. Bottled water was offered as an alternative to any resident who wanted it.

So the new pipes are not a response to a live health risk. They deal with the cause: ageing pipework that the council says was allowing build-up in the supply.

Cllr Flo Clucas, cabinet member for housing and customer services, said the process “has been long and complex”. She added: “We also recognise the impact, disturbance and inconvenience that works of this nature do cause. We are working closely with tenants to help minimise those impacts.”

About Barlow Road

According to the council, Barlow Road is:

  • one of nine sheltered housing schemes the council owns and manages
  • 74 flats in six blocks, for older and disabled residents
  • built in the 1960s, with a communal lounge, a guest suite and an office
  • staffed by a manager on site Monday to Friday in office hours

The building was re-roofed in 2023, when solar panels were added.

Across all nine schemes the council has 511 sheltered properties, according to its independent living schemes page.

What it means for you

If you live at Barlow Road, expect two lots of contractors this autumn and winter: Ventro on the alarms now, and Lovell on the pipework once it starts. The council says it will keep tenants informed. Questions about the work go to the council’s housing services on 0800 408 0000.

If you are thinking about sheltered housing, the council’s schemes are open to people aged 60 or over, or 55 and over with high support needs after an individual assessment. You apply by registering on Homeseeker Plus. Every scheme has a 24-hour emergency alarm system and support from the council’s housing support officers. They do not provide personal care, medication or shopping.

If you live in one of the other eight schemes, the wider plan is in the council’s draft housing asset management strategy, which went to councillors in June. It commits to a plan to keep the sheltered housing portfolio “fit for purpose and financially viable”, building on a review done in 2018. (Draft Housing Asset Management Strategy, June 2026)

Sources