Case study - refurbishment
Hanson helps rebuild Bank Top 
As one of nine Government Pathfinders, East Lancashire has many unique housing problems and the Bank Top Project is one of three areas chosen by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council for inclusion in the ‘Elevate East Lancashire' programme.
Cavity wall tie failure was a major problem within the area and the consequent rebuilding of outer leaves of brickwork to whole terraces has involved the extensive use
of bricks from Hanson Building Products. Hanson supplied its Airedale Multi, Langdale Multi, Wentdale Multi, Victorian Multi Smooth and Swaledale Multi brick options for the renewal programme, with each designated street using one uniform variety of brickwork for maximum visual impact. Each brick has a distinctive colour and combines aesthetic appeal with durability, frost resistance and long life expectancy.
Designated a renewal area in April 1998, over 1000 homes have been included in the Bank Top project, with approximately 180 substandard properties cleared to make way for new housing. One major influence on the work was the use of local builders with local knowledge, who used their expertise and craftsmanship to carry out the work with minimum disruption to residents thus avoiding the need to re house them whilst the work was carried out.
Roger Vickers, Renewals Manager for Blackburn Council agrees that this was an important factor in the specification of the brickwork. "We wanted a good quality brick range that would stand the test of time, and which would blend in giving the houses an extended life of up to 30 years," he comments. "Most of the existing brickwork is local and this was a feature that we wanted to replicate in the renewal process. By using a mixture of facing brick types from the Hanson range, we were able to achieve this and create attractive and durable brick facades for the houses involved in the scheme."
The inclusion of Bank Top in the East Lancashire Pathfinder scheme is aimed at addressing decaying property, dereliction and low demand and has benefited from an injection of some £30 million into the entire renewal procedure.