The Beach Hotel, an old hotel in Quigney, East London which has become a haven for street children and vagrants, will soon undergo a major facelift.

The King William's Town Housing Association's plans to buy the building are at an advanced stage, the Daily Dispatch reported today.

Chris Hetem, the association's chief executive officer, told the newspaper that the purchase deal should be finalised by next week.

"Construction should begin in a month or two and we are hoping to have the facelift complete by the end of the year," Hetem said.

Hetem said they planned to convert the building into rental accommodation targeted at young people earning between R1 500 and R3 500 a month.

He told the Daily Dispatch the projects were not low-cost housing initiatives. Monthly rentals for the accommodation initiatives to be established by the association will be from R700 to R800 a month and applicants have to be 21 years or older and be first-time tenants, the newspaper said.

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