Homes for older people on the way in Havering

Snowden Court, an empty and rundown sheltered housing scheme in the London Borough of Havering, was demolished this week to make way for 98 new ‘extra care’ homes for people over 55.

The development, located on Squirrels Heath Lane in Gidea Park, will include self-contained one and two bedroom apartments in a secure environment, along with specialist care, support and housing services. Havering Council is working with East Thames, which has over 30 years’ experience providing housing and support in east London and Essex.

The scheme will provide flexible support to meet the residents’ care needs and will be equipped to provide additional care services 24 hours a day (the extra care element), should their needs increase in the future.

Twenty of the units will also be available for older residents to purchase under shared ownership – a part-buy, part-rent scheme where people purchase a share in their home, whilst paying subsidised rent on the remainder.

The £12m+ scheme is being part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which has provided social housing grant of £5.33m. East Thames has put in a further £7m. The development will include a range of new facilities including a hairdressers, guest suite, resident lounge and a restaurant. It will also feature a terrace garden for residents, which will complement the new landscaping throughout the grounds.

The scheme will be built to high levels of sustainable design, meeting the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. This means that it will include various energy, water and waste saving measures, and generate 20% of the energy used in the homes from a renewable source. The buildings were designed by architects Penoyre & Prasad and are now being built by Willmott Dixon Plc for completion in January 2013.

Geoff Pearce, East Thames director of development and asset management said:

“With an ageing population, schemes like this are in high demand. Older people will see this as a good opportunity to downsize their home and move into a beautifully designed, purpose-built development, with support available should they ever need it. What’s more, residents will get a choice in how independently they live, as their support will be tailored to their needs.”

Councillor Lesley Kelly, Havering Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“We have a high proportion of elderly people in the borough and want to improve the number and quality of homes available to them. We also want our elderly residents to live as independently as possible, which is what they want, and has the added benefit of keeping costs down for local taxpayers.”

Janet Trench, HCA area manager for North East London said: 

“With its own advisory group dedicated to addressing housing need for vulnerable and older people, the HCA supports the creation of new developments that improve quality of life for the over 55s. This inclusive, thoughtfully designed scheme achieves a balance between helping residents to live independently and providing a safe environment with specialist care services on hand should they be required.”

Darren Nolan, Willmott Dixon Housing (Southgate) technical director, said:

"We are delighted to be involved in this scheme, it means a great deal to us to work on schemes that provide such exemplary facilities. The quality of materials and the thought applied to the design will ensure that this is a place people will want to live in and we look forward to the construction phase and working with East Thames again."

Ends

For further information please contact Fiona McEwan at East Thames Group on 0208 5222 042 / fiona.mcewan@east-thames.co.uk or Judith Hewitt at the HCA on 020 7633 3484 / judith.hewitt@hca.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editors

East Thames Group is a registered social landlord and social regeneration charity. With its three operating subsidiaries – East Homes, East Potential and East Living – East Thames owns and manages more than 13,000 homes, and runs a range of programmes to prevent homelessness, get unemployed people back into work, create better neighbourhoods, and bring communities together.

Their East Living subsidiary runs over 80 care and support schemes throughout east London and Essex. They provide support and accommodation for a wide range of people including younger and older people, those with disabilities including learning disabilities and mental health needs and women escaping violence.