Member Article

Planning for new extra care apartments granted

A £9.4 million development to provide 71 extra care apartments in County Durham has received planning permission.

The development on a former school site in Robson Avenue, Peterlee, was unanimously approved by Durham County Council’s Planning Committee.

It will be constructed by Galliford Try Partnerships North, which hopes to announce a housing care provider partner soon. Work is due to start in January and once complete, in the Autumn of 2021, the facility will provide 54 one bedroomed and 17 two bedroomed apartments.

In addition, there will be communal areas and gardens, hairdresser and a café/restaurant which will be available for local people to use, to encourage neighbourhood integration community development.

Across the road, Galliford Try Partnerships North is working with Believe Housing, on an £8 million project creating 67 properties - mostly for affordable rent - 25 of which will be available through the Government backed ‘Rent to Buy Scheme’. This includes homes in greatest demand, such as bungalows, with some specially adapted for wheelchair users and those with mobility challenges.

Sean Egan Managing Director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “We are pleased that planning permission has been granted for the extra care apartments, which will help meet the challenges and demands of housing needs within Peterlee. It is rewarding to have two schemes within the same locality and to be working with skilled and experienced housing providers who have in depth knowledge and experience of delivering similar initiatives.

“Increasingly we are finding that by using our expertise, experience and grant funding to identify and kick start viable projects, we are able to help the region’s housing providers meet housing needs.”

The Peterlee project is one of nine new schemes secured by Galliford Try Partnerships North over the past few weeks. With a gross development value of almost £200 million, they will deliver over 1,000 new homes across the region, for open market sale, shared ownership, affordable rent, private rent and extra care facilities for the over 55’s.

The eight others are: 360 homes at Kirkleatham Lane, Redcar; 350 adjacent to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough; 67 homes for affordable rent at Robson Avenue in Peterlee; 52 homes in Kelvin Grove, Saltwell – part of the next phase of the £350 million Gateshead Regeneration Project; 30 properties close to the historic, grade II listed Mowden Hall in Darlington; an 82 apartment wellbeing scheme in Lobley Hill, Gateshead, a 64 bedroomed apartment Extra Care facility in Cullercoats, Tynemouth and 65 houses and flats for affordable rent in Elswick, Newcastle.

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