The site is on land owned by the County Council and Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) at Pembury Road and Faversham Road in Langney. It will include the development of Derry Court, a former EBC sheltered housing scheme. The new building will provide 62 self-contained apartments for older people who want to live independently but need support.
A grant of just over £6m from the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) was secured in a joint bid by the County Council, Saxon Weald, a charitable housing association and EBC. This extra care housing scheme will have a range of communal facilities including a restaurant, lounge and multi-purpose activity rooms. Care and support will be available from on-site staff and the scheme will be managed by Saxon Weald. Some of the facilities will be available to the wider local community.
Planning permission has already been granted and work is due to start on site this month (March 2010). The scheme will be ready by Autumn 2011.
Councillor Bill Bentley, the County Council Lead Member for Adult Social Care said:
“It is marvellous news that we can now go ahead with this project. It will provide modern and secure housing for older people who want to live independently but have support when it is needed”.
David Standfast, of Saxon Weald, said:
“We are delighted to be working with East Sussex County Council and Eastbourne Borough Council on this project. It will provide older people locally with the care and support that they need – and the privacy of their own front door”.
Councillor Margaret Bannister, the Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Community Services, said:
“I am delighted that Eastbourne Borough Council has successfully worked in partnership with East Sussex County Council and the charitable housing association Saxon Weald and together have secured a grant of nearly £6.2 million from the Homes and Communities Agency towards the cost of this £9.7 million purpose-built, extra care scheme which is greatly needed in Eastbourne”.
This new building, as yet unnamed, is the latest of the extra care partnership projects for the elderly, which include Downlands Court, Roundhay Avenue, Peacehaven, completed in September 2009 and Margaret House, Lealands Drive, Uckfield, due to open later this year.
Extra care housing enables older people with care and support needs to live independently. It provides residents with their own apartments, either rented from Saxon Weald or privately owned on a shared equity basis with the housing association.
For the latest developments in Adult Social Care in East Sussex, including Putting People First and extra care please see our section on key developments in adult social care.
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England. Its role is to create opportunities for people to live in high quality, sustainable places. The HCA provides funding for affordable housing, bringing land back into productive use and improving the quality of life by raising standards for the physical and social environment. For more information visit the website of the Homes and Communities Agency.
Reference:
2729
Contact the press team
East Sussex County Council