A BUSINESS owner has set out his vision for a multi-million pound renovation of hundreds of iconic flats which he hopes will restore pride in a neglected neighbourhood.

David Rosenberg, owner of Barros Trading Ltd, held a meeting with Barrow Island residents in the Navy Club on Tuesday night.

The firm purchased 320 tenement flats on Barrow Island in July last year and is now investing millions of pounds in the properties.

Approximately 80 per cent of the properties are empty but the company intends to pursue a marketing campaign to find tenants once renovation work is complete.

The meeting was called to give Mr Rosenberg to address a series of complaints raised via social media about his plans for the neighbourhood.

Some residents have expressed concern that the development will attract a large number of social housing tenants and increase the amount of anti-social behaviour on Barrow Island.

Mr Rosenberg said: “One of the things that really troubles me is that there are people who seems to be very negative about what we are doing and I don’t get it.

“I’m not putting a fortune into these apartments to see them wrecked. We will have strict criteria as to who is going to come in.”

Barros Trading Ltd, which has renamed its properties in Sloop Street, Ship Street, Barque Street and Brig Street “Maritime Apartments”.

A new roof has already been put on the Ship Street buildings and planning permission has been granted for a biomass heating system.

Mr Rosenberg said “The flats as they are now are not very efficient. They are expensive to heat and some of them have electric heating which is very inefficient.

“Some of the flats have holes in the roof which means you are just heating the sky.”

The improvement will be complemented more than £1 million of external landscaping which will be covered by funds from central government.

Mr Rosenberg said: “When we’ve finished doing all of this work, people are still going to be paying the same amount of money.

“You’re going to have brilliant new renovated flats with new kitchens, new bathrooms, wallpapering, painting, carpeting and free WiFi throughout the building.

“We are going to do what we can to make our four buildings, and hopefully the whole area, a nice place to live. “People say I’m mad but the buildings will look nice when we’ve finished and we have to make this into a place where people can be proud to live.”