Work to begin on 40 new homes for older people in Plymouth

Work is due to begin on the development of 40 new supported homes for older residents in Plymouth.

The new specially adapted extra care one and two bedroom flats in Ernesettle are being developed by Aster Homes and its contractor, Leadbitter.

Part of Bouygues UK, one of the nation’s leading construction companies, Leadbitter – which has provided four similar schemes in Plymouth recently – was appointed to the scheme after a competitive tender process.

Local residents will get the chance to view the site plans and ask any questions they may have at a ‘Meet the Builder’ event on Friday 1 August.

The development, which is being funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and Plymouth City Council’s Adult Social Care service, is designed to provide ‘homes for life’ for older people and provide a valuable resource for the local community.

A large proportion of people over 80 suffer from memory loss plus other health conditions such as stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. The building has been designed to assist people suffering from dementia and memory loss.

The development also forms part of Plymouth’s Plan for Homes, which aims to deliver 1,000 new homes each year in Plymouth for the next five years.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance for Plymouth City Council, said: “We are delighted for work to be able to begin on this new scheme, which will provide much needed supported accommodation for older people in Ernesettle.

“Extra care housing is designed to provide varying levels of onsite care and support.

"Each of the 40 self-contained flats will have private kitchens and wet rooms, and will be accessible to those in wheelchairs. There will also be a community centre and hair salon for the public, plus a communal kitchen, dining room, lounges, hobby rooms, wheelchair store and private gardens.”

One local resident stated that extra-care housing is the ‘way of the future.’

The resident, who has requested to remain anonymous, said: “My mother’s existing property is not suitable because of her dementia. She is not mobile; she cannot go out of the house and she needs people to care for her.”

The resident added: “With the ageing population and [high rates of] dementia, this has to be the way to go.”

The mother, a lifelong resident of Ernesettle, does not wish to leave her existing home due to a lack of housing options in the area. However she is now hoping to secure a flat at the new extra care scheme once complete.

Plymouth-based housing developer Aster Homes recently purchased the land from Plymouth City Council and secured funding from the Homes and Communities Agency to help finance the scheme. The Council has also offered a £700,000 grant to help bridge the cost of the development.

David Luke, Regional Development Director at Aster Homes, said: “We’re very pleased to have started work on this exciting new development which will transform the former community centre site.

"It’s absolutely vital that older people living locally have access to high-quality extra care housing which will suit a diverse range of needs. When complete, these new facilities will help to do exactly that and make a very real difference to peoples’ lives.”

The Council released the site through its ambitious Get Plymouth Building programme, which was launched in August 2012 to increase housing supply in the City.

The site was originally developed as the Ernesettle Infants School in the early 1950s and was converted for use as a community centre in 1982. The community centre closed around 2008 and the building demolished in 2010 leaving only the concrete floors and paving. The brownfield site has since been subject to reports of anti-social behaviour.

The Council granted planning permission for the site in Duxford Close, Ernesettle, in September 2013. The planning application (13/00916/FUL) including plans can be viewed online at www.plymouth.gov.uk.

Meet the Builder event

There will be a ‘Meet the builder’ event, organised by Leadbitter, on Friday 1st August 2014 from 4pm to 6pm at St Aiden’s Church, 42, West Mailing Avenue, Ernesettle, Plymouth, PL5 2SS. This will be a chance for local residents to meet members of the site team and representatives from Aster Homes, view plans of the scheme, and have questions answered.