Plans have been announced for over 140 Extra Care apartments across sites in the Harrogate area.
Harrogate Neighbours Housing Association in partnership with Abbeyfield Ilkley Society Ltd, North Yorkshire County Council and Keepmoat Construction has unveiled proposals for 142 extra care apartments across 3 sites in Harrogate. These proposals will be subject to planning consent and formal approvals by all partners including the County Council Executive who will consider the proposals on 3rd December 2013.
The sites for the new extra care schemes are the former depot site in Starbeck; Greenfield Court, Wetherby Road and Heath Lodge, Pannal Ash Road.
The proposals being considered would involve the replacement of Woodfield House, the County Council’s elderly people’s home in Harrogate; Greenfield Court, Harrogate Neighbours’ older persons’ Extra Care accommodation on Wetherby Road and Health Lodge, Harrogate Neighbours’ Residential Home on Pannal Ash Road Harrogate. The involvement of Abbeyfield also means that the proposal can provide replacement accommodation for Abbeyfield’s Wells House on Otley Road Harrogate.
The county council has already developed fifteen Extra Care schemes, which provide affordable apartments for sale or rent, allowing people to have homes of their own in locations with which they are familiar, but with the benefit of 24-hour-a-day support. A further twelve schemes are in the pipeline.
The County Council also has plans for a further 29 schemes, providing more than 2,500 new homes. Developments will continue to replace council elderly people’s homes.
Extra Care is also coupled with community facilities such as a restaurant, hairdressers’ salon, hobbies rooms, library facilities and other resources. In addition it enables couples to stay together and have their families to stay in the on-site guest suite and for people to keep their pets. Extra Care can also provide high levels of community nursing as well as end-of-life palliative care support to people living with dementia.
Extra Care schemes represent the best in partnership working with the county and borough councils working together with housing associations and building contractors to create state-of-the-art facilities.
County Councillor Clare Wood, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Health and Adult Services said:
Extra Care is a long range and strategic approach to meeting demographic challenges and the county’s needs, with the well-being, independence and choice of North Yorkshire’s citizens at its heart,”
Extra Care has proved a highly successful solution so far to supporting the needs of older people while enabling them to live in a home of their own. We are totally convinced that Extra Care is the way forward in the care of our vulnerable and elderly.
Sue Cawthray, CEO of Harrogate Neighbours Housing Association said:
Extra Care is now a home for life and our current sites are reaching the end of their useful life and are becoming unsustainable. The health and well-being of our tenants and residents is paramount and therefore we welcome the opportunity to secure our aspirations for the future. We intend to do this by putting everyone’s needs at the forefront of our proposed development plans.
Harrogate is in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It became popular during the 19th century for its spa springs which were used for medicinal treatments. Today it is also well-visited for its elegant architecture, shopping, restaurants, gardens and proximity to the Yorkshire Dales.