Staffordshire’s largest retirement village project provides flexible and adaptable futureproofed Extra Care Housing and a vital boost to the local economy
Thursday 11 May 2017 – Award-winning developer and investor Kajima is pleased to announce the completion of Staffordshire’s largest £60 million PFI retirement living project with the handover of the Maple West Extra Care Scheme in Chell.
The developments across Stoke-on-Trent provide prestigious retirement villages offering 390 spacious, self-contained apartments at three sites including Maple West in Chell, Oak Priory in Abbey Hulton and Willow Barns in Blurton.
Kajima is the main developer, investor and funder, working in partnership with Your Housing Group (YHG) and Eric Wright Group to form Sapphire Extra Care Ltd. This consortium was selected by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in 2014 to build and manage the three facilities.
Each site boasts a village concept, which is driven by the need to create an environment that promotes healthy living and accessible care both internally and externally, ultimately providing residents with a ‘Home for Life.’ Kajima and its partners worked closely with the city council to ensure that the apartments are carefully designed to adapt to the varying and diverse care needs of the local population. Together the three sites offer a range of facilities and services, and are designed to provide ultimate flexibility in tailoring care and support packages to different levels of need over the years. The apartments are available for rent with details available at www.sapphireconsortium.co.uk
The most recently completed development, Maple West in Chell, was built by Seddon. It offers 140 spacious open plan apartments in a communal setting and enables the adoption of an independent lifestyle. Oak Priory and Willow Barns are already in use by residents and offer 175 and 75 apartments respectively. Each of the retirement schemes has communal areas and on-site amenities including a village shop, restaurant, newsagent, hair and beauty salon and a launderette.
In addition to providing much needed independent living accommodation, the project has been integral in fuelling the growth of the local economy through local investment and the creation of jobs. A key requirement of the bid was that local companies were used as much as possible in the construction phase. This commitment resulted in the creation of 95 jobs since the development began and a total of eight apprentices have been recruited from across Stoke-on-Trent. Additionally, 65% of materials used during construction were procured within a 25km radius of each site.
Richard Barnett, Asset Manager of Kajima Partnerships, said:
“We are delighted to announce the completion of the Stoke Extra Care retirement living project. We believe this is a landmark development and one which reflects our longstanding commitment in ensuring that older people are able to live independently whilst enjoying the very highest standards of care.
“We have worked intensively with Your Housing Group and Eric Wright Group to ensure that each retirement living village is completed to the highest design standards and provides a wide range of facilities that cater to a diverse range of care needs, effectively creating ‘a home for life’ for each resident.”
Councillor Ann James, Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s cabinet member for health and social care, said:
“The collaboration of all partners has been integral to the continued success of this project in ensuring that older people have access to high quality accommodation that is well adapted to their needs. The Maple West development has been significant in driving benefits for the whole community, fuelling the growth of the economy and channelling wider investment in the region.”
