Former housing minister visits £5.9 million Extra Care housing scheme in Sunderland » Housing » 24dash.com

In her one of her last official engagements as housing minister Caroline Flint paid a visit to a major £5.9 million Extra Care housing scheme in Sunderland.

Work started earlier this year on the development in Silksworth as part of Sunderland City Council’s Extra Care housing programme.

It gives older people the opportunity to be tenants, part-owners or outright owners of properties with 24 hour care and support services on their doorstep.

Former housing minister Caroline Flint christened the 40 apartment development in Seaham Street, as Beckwith Mews. The development is aimed specifically at people aged over 55 and half of the apartments are being offered for sale.

The name Beckwith was chosen after a prominent local family who helped establish the old St Leonard’s School that once occupied the site of the development.

At the ceremony was the council’s cabinet member for housing, Councillor Henry Trueman who said: “We have shown the Minister how Sunderland City Council is ensuring that a range of options are available for older people in the city.

"Extra Care housing provides state-of-the-art spacious accommodation in a safe and secure environment where staff are on hand if required at all times. And, here at Beckwith Mews, there is the added benefit of facilities such as a restaurant and library.”

The council contributed £2 million towards the scheme and Silksworth Branch Library is being re-located into the development giving residents, as well as the wider community, access to this resource when all work at Beckwith is completed early next year.

Caroline Flint said: “At the heart of Sunderland City Council’s Extra Care scheme are the needs of older people. It will ensure they have the support they need to maintain their independence, meaning old age does not force them out of their homes and communities.

"The scheme’s about giving people a choice in later life, so they can make their own decisions about what they need for their future.”

Housing 21, the council’s development partners, are working with Frank Haslam Milan, offering the part-ownership and sale options.

Alan White, Housing 21’s construction manager at Silksworth, said: “Previous Extra Care schemes have all been extremely popular and successful and Beckwith Mews will be too because it helps bridge a gap between sheltered and residential accommodation, giving people their independence and also meeting care needs all on-site.”

Councillor Eric Timmins, the council’s cabinet member for adult services, said: “Extra Care housing is all about ensuring that people have access to a range of alternatives in the city and allowing them to remain in their own home.

"The accommodation being built here in Silksworth, and at similar schemes in Hetton and Washington, is providing people with either their own private apartment or bungalow with access to meals, community facilities, recreational and healthy living facilities in a safe and secure environment with staff on site if needed.”

A similar Extra Care project for 39 apartments is planned in Washington and a third scheme with 50 properties at Moor House, Hetton.

David Mellor, FHM North East Managing Director, said: “It is no secret that there is an ageing population. In fact, by 2040, the number of people aged over 64 in Britain will have increased to 15 million.
"People are living longer and housing solutions are needed to meet this increased demand.

“FHM North East is creating homes which offer a great deal of flexibility for residents as they grow older. The Silksworth development is a good example of housing that allows people to live independent lives.”