Saffron Housing Trust announce that majority of residents at Clare House in Diss have been moved out

Almost all the residents at a sheltered housing scheme in Diss have been rehomed in suitable accommodation less than a year after bosses announced they would be repurposing the buildings.

Back in March, residents at Clare House were told they would have to move out of their homes so that essential work could be undertaken on the 26-unit-housing scheme in Frenze Road.

Hannah Harvey, executive director of operations at Saffron Housing Trust, said: “When we first started looking at the best options for Clare House, it made people feel very nervous about their future and what it would mean for them.

“We quite quickly had conversations with all of our tenants and were very open and honest about the future of the scheme and what it would look like, including what other options were open to them as a way of finding them more suitable accommodation.

“The majority of tenants have taken us up on that offer and we’ve had some people move away from the Diss area and some people move to other provisions within Diss, so we’ve tried to use it as an opportunity to get people to a place that was better for them.”

Saffron, which is based in Long Stratton, did not say what it intends to do with the site – but has not ruled out selling it off.

Ms Harvey, who was speaking to Park Radio this month, continued: “These things take a long time, so we’re not going to rush it.

“We want to do the right thing for the tenants that live there, but also the community that surrounds it because, obviously, it’s not just the people that live in it; its the people that live near to it as well.”

Saffron did not say how many residents are still living on site, but said it aims to get all tenants into suitable accommodation by early next year.