A council-owned hostel for the homeless is set to benefit from a half a million pound refurbishment.
The nine-bed hostel in Wilton Road, Colliers Wood, was established in 1987 and is run by Merton Action for Single Homeless (MASH) and funded by Merton Council.
Merton Council cabinet approved plans on Monday to extend the building to provide an additional 10 bed spaces, replace kitchens and bathrooms and create additional communal facilities.
The project, expected to cost £530,000, will be funded using money from the council’s section 106 fund dedicated for housing requirements.
The facility, which is Merton's only direct access hostel, currently provides support for up to 25 homeless people each year.
Planned improvements will allow the hostel to help up to 47 people each year.
Councillor Nick Draper, cabinet member for housing, said: "The accommodation has been going on for 26 years with very little change.
"There’s no en-suite for instance and there are people sharing rooms.
"We have wanted to improve it for many years and this is our opportunity.
"We have section 106 money so we will be improving not only the rooms but also downstairs and the communal areas as well." Subject to planning and cabinet approval work is set to start in January 2014.
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