Partner Article

Over 50s get ‘moor’ at Lightmoor care scheme

An innovative extra care housing scheme in the heart of Telford has gone from strength-to-strength since opening as it continues to meet the growing need for housing solutions for the over 50s.

Designed by Bournville Architects - the architectural arm of Bournville Village Trust - the scheme was delivered as a joint venture between Telford and Wrekin Council, Bournville Village Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency.

The extra care scheme - Bournville House – initially opened its doors in 2011 providing 59 self-contained two-bed, three person apartments which make up an integral part of the Lightmoor Village development. Since then, the development has remained oversubscribed as would-be owners seek homes which match their aspirations and provide that additional care when the time comes.

Executive director at Bournville Architects, Ian Tipton, says: “There is an increasing demand for well-designed, extra care facilities which provide independent living but give peace of mind that round-the-clock care is available when necessary.

“The project at Lightmoor wasn’t just about building a home to meet the growing housing demand of the over 50s– it was about creating quality lifestyle choices for those who currently need care or may need care in the future.

“With an increase in the UK population forecast to rise to 23 per cent by 2034 and a need to find sustainable long-term care, extra care housing is leading the way.”

As well as comfortable and secure accommodation, Bournville House provides a number of communal facilities for its residents including shared lounges, a restaurant, gym, hairdresser, activity room and IT suite, as well as landscaped gardens, a bowling/croquet lawn and greenhouse.

All building work at Lightmoor interprets the aesthetics of a traditional Shropshire community, creating a typical village feel with closely packed streets with the use of traditional construction and decorative materials, particularly in the village centre where Bournville House is situated.

Innovative design features were used to break down the scale of Bournville House, including stepped roof lines and separate frontages to create the appearance of a number of individual buildings rather than one large single building.

Fair faced brick masonry and render finishes were used in conjunction with reconstituted stone cills and lintels, plain clay and natural slate lead detail roofing to help complete the traditional village feel and provide an aesthetically pleasing finish to the design.

“The scheme for Bournville House was designed with both community and sustainability in mind, providing functional and valuable housing alternative for local elderly residents,” says Ian.

As well as maintaining high quality design and architectural features, the scheme was developed with a number of environmental benefits in mind. Sustainable design features include 450mm thick external walls, solar thermal roof panels, LED light fittings, rainwater harvesting, low-flow taps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, SUDS attenuation system, permeable paving and a building management system.

The extra care scheme along with all other homes in the Lightmoor development are designed to meet BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards – one of the world’s most comprehensive and widely recognised measures of a building’s environmental performance.

As a result of its innovative and eco-friendly design features, Bournville House was shortlisted in the 2012 Housing Design Awards, a nationally recognised annual award promoting excellence and sustainability in home design.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bournville Architects .