AFFORDABLE EXTRA CARE HOUSING A STEP CLOSER FOR SURREY
A landmark has been reached in the drive to provide affordable housing for Surrey’s priority residents enabling them to live independently, after planning permission was awarded to the first of the county council’s extra care housing developments.
Working with extra care housing consortium partner Pond Meadow Limited, the site in Guildford will provide 59 affordable apartments for those who need help to continue living the lives they want in a home of their own,
Specialist housing for older residents in Surrey
It’s all part of Surrey County Council’s plan to provide high quality, purpose-built accommodation for those most in need of extra care and support and deliver on commitments outlined in Surrey’s ‘Living Well in Later Life’ strategy.
Working with experienced delivery partners the council has embarked on a programme to bring 725 extra care housing units – predominantly for older residents – within reach of those who need them most. Including the Guildford site, nine locations across the county have currently been earmarked for this type of elder housing, all destined to be up and running by 2030.
Using sites that it already owns, the council awards a contract to a specialist partner to design, build, finance and operate the development based on a long-term lease. In the case of this initial build, the council’s chosen partner is a consortium named Pond Meadow Ltd, reflecting the site’s location on the former site of the school in Park Barn.
All the developments being planned by the council will be available for affordable rent by people who need adult social care support. They’ll help ensure that regardless of income, Surrey residents will have an opportunity to access the support they need as they age.
Housing designed with built-in care
Extra care housing apartments are one- or two-bedroom properties which have their own front door and are accessible to staff and carers, who provide daily support and are onsite 24/7 to respond to emergencies. Unlike sheltered housing, assistance is provided to residents from the outset (such as help with washing or dressing if required), while they retain as much independence as possible.
In the same way that standards in residential homes are monitored, the ‘care’ element in this type of specialist housing is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with care providers appointed via separate council contract.
Community living in Guildford
The whole design of the Pond Meadow building hinges around accessibility, with older people’s needs planned-in from the word go. Located with good access to local buses (including a service to the station) the plan includes spaces for mobility scooters and multifunctional communal areas, all of which help to boost residents’ social lives and with it, their wellbeing.
Apartments will incorporate smart technology which can be used to help make residents’ lives easier and further support their independence. The development is built to be sustainable too, with an environmentally friendly heating design with high levels of insulation, as well as solar panels and the inclusion of a more natural solution for rainwater drainage.
Offices for housing professionals and onsite carers, together with a central kitchen and laundry are included in the plan to ensure residents can access greater support should they need it, though the apartments will all have their own kitchen, living spaces and bathrooms.
Speaking about the detailed planning approval being granted, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Sinead Mooney said: “It’s great news that we’ve secured planning permission on the former site of Pond Meadow school in Guildford.
“The development enables us to meet our goal of supporting people to live their best lives while making our budgets stretch further. We get to provide modern, affordable housing for more of those who need extra care, but who want to have a choice about how and where they live.
“We aim to start construction at the site – the first of many extra care housing developments – in the spring of next year.”
Andy Cox from Pond Meadow Ltd commented: “We’re delighted to be working with Surrey County Council and the excellent wider team in Guilford to deliver the first of the extra care schemes. “Pond Meadow will have such a positive impact on the local community, enabling independent living, whilst receiving the support needed. We look forward to celebrating the development milestones throughout the building process.”