Member Article

Developer selected for £5 million scheme

Galliford Try has been selected to build a proposed £5 million Extra Care housing scheme for older people in Alnwick.

The Isos Housing project, to be known as Weavers’ Court, is designed to provide 58 affordable one and two bedroomed apartments, half for sale through shared ownership, and half available to rent.

Around £2 million of funding for the venture will come from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and is part of a national programme to build 3,544 new homes.

Planning consent for the Alnwick project has been granted by Northumberland County Council and it will sit in a wider development scheme brought forward by Northumberland Estates for the south of the town, close to Weavers Way.

Stephen McCoy, managing director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “We are extremely excited about this project which provides us with an opportunity to work with Isos to provide high quality affordable homes which will enable people to live independently for longer.

“This is the fifth Extra Care project we’ve secured in recent months and this type of work represents a growing and much valued part of our order book.”

Michael Farr, executive director of development and property at Isos Housing, said: “Weavers’ Court is going to be a superb development for the people of Alnwick and north Northumberland. Our existing Extra Care facility in Prudhoe has proved hugely popular, and we look forward to extending that provision to Alnwick.”

Isos has worked alongside Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to develop its plans, which were designed by architects idpartnership. The development is to be project managed by Plan B Housing and Elliott Associates.

The scheme will extend people’s ability to live independently within their community. The building will also act as a community hub - including a range of communal facilities, such as a shop, café, internet connections, hairdressers, multi purpose room for GPs to use, patio and sensory gardens for use by both residents and the wider older community.

The design of the scheme will be compliant with the Lifetime Homes and Wheelchair Design Guide standards and will use ‘HAPPI’ principles and best practise.

Northumberland’s population is ageing faster than that of England as a whole and there is clear evidence of a rapid increase in the number of older people particularly in North Northumberland and for those over 85.

The Alnwick District Housing Needs Survey shows that the number of people over 75 is set to increase by 81% by 2031 and identified an increasing need for around 400 units of specialist housing for older people.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .