WORK will begin this month on a £5m refurbishment project which will help boost the regeneration of Barrow Island.

Esh Border Construction, which has offices in Kendal, will deliver the renovations for Barros Trading Ltd, including £1.4m of landscaping.

Barros Trading Ltd owns 320 tenement flats in a conservation area of Barrow Island which will become known as The Maritime Buildings. Planning permission has been granted for the homes to be converted into 318 new apartments with consent also given for the installation of a biomass and back-up gas communal heating system.

Around 80 per cent of the Grade II and Grade ll* listed tenements are currently vacant but the owner hopes that the renovations will encourage new tenants to take up residency in addition to offering upgraded homes to the existing occupiers.

David Rosenberg, of Barros trading Ltd, said: “We are really excited to be involved in the regeneration of these streets and look forward to working closely with all the team at Esh Border Construction. We are committed to this project for the long term and hope this will enable the whole area to have an uplift and for all the community of Barrow Island to benefit.

Simon Phillips, regional managing director for Esh Border Construction, said: “This is a really exciting project for Esh Border Construction to be involved in and one which we think will help with the regeneration of Barrow Island. In addition to the construction work which we will be carrying out on these properties we are also contracted to do more than £1m of landscaping which will really improve the local amenity."

“Part of the Esh Added Value ethos is that we like to help enhance our offering to the wider community where possible. Young people are a real focus for us so we are working in Barrow Island Primary School which is adjacent to the flats and also introducing the Building My Skills programme to secondary schools via the Furness Education & Skills Partnership.

“Esh Added Value is what gives our company its uniqueness. It is not about paying lip service to Corporate Social Responsibility: it is about doing in practice, day in and day out, something extra for the communities where we work.”

The project is expected to take Esh Border Construction around 18 months to complete.