A partnership between A1 Housing, Bassetlaw District Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, with additional funding from the national Homes and Communities Agency, is set to develop an impressive apartment complex for older adults on the site of the former Abbey Grove Independent Retirement Living Centre in Lowtown, Worksop.
Planning consent was granted by Bassetlaw District Council in May 2017 and with Woodhead being confirmed as the approved contractor following a competitive tender process through Efficiency East Midlands, demolition work has already begun on site to create the Retirement Living complex.
Steve Scotthorne, Cabinet Member for Housing at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “The redevelopment of Abbey Grove is set to be a fantastic facility that will provide quality accommodation for older tenants in our district. Not only will it provide additional accommodation, but also an increase in the number of ‘Extra Care’ homes for older people to live as independently as possible in their own home, with the reassurance that care staff are on-site 24 hours a day”
Joice Rennie, Director of Housing for A1 Housing added: “It’s fantastic that this project is continuing to move forward and that older residents in Bassetlaw will have a modern and purpose built complex to live in. Almost 50 per cent of applicants on the A1 Housing’s waiting list are over 60 - people are living longer and the demand is greater.”
The project has been procured through EEM Ltd. EEM is a non-profit organisation offering efficiency savings for the public sector and all public sector bodies are free to join. Their current Members include Councils, ALMO’s, Housing Associations, Hospitals, Universities and Emergency Services. EEM’s priority is to support Members in their common goal – to provide efficiently delivered and high quality products and services to the communities they serve.
Luke Downing, Managing Project Manager for Woodhead Living, said: “We’re delighted to be working with A1 Housing and Bassetlaw District Council again on another fantastic project. The brand new energy efficient building will provide secure, warm and modern homes, with communal areas where residents can relax, socialise and become a community.”
Councillor Steve Vickers, Vice-Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee, said: “This redevelopment will expand and improve the quality of extra care housing in Bassetlaw, which offers older people their own apartment for greater independence with on-site support which can be adapted around their changing needs.
“It’s vital the older people in Nottinghamshire have as much choice on the way their care and support is provided, whether it be in their home of many years or in a specially designed apartment complex such as the new Abbey Grove.”
The Abbey Grove redevelopment will feature 51 comfortable, self-contained one and two bedroomed apartments, including 37 extra care places.
Photo:
(L-R) Joice Rennie (A1), Pete Smith (EEM), Cllr Steve Scotthorne (BDC), Mark Hackleton (Woodhead), Andrew Davenport (A1), Kenay Reshad (A1), Dominic Twigg (Woodhead), Craig Pygall (Woodhead), Don Spittlehouse (A1)