Residents needing specialist housing and care in Kendal, Cumbria will soon have a new facility to serve their needs, as leading energy and regeneration specialist ENGIE begins work on a £15.2 million Extra Care scheme.
The development is being built on behalf of the leading not-for-profit, provider of Retirement Housing and Extra Care, Housing 21.
Consisting of 80 apartments and 24 stand-alone bungalows, the aim of the development is to help older people maintain their independence, with access to care and support as and when needed from a 24-hour, on-site care team.
The Oxenholme project is the second Extra Care scheme ENGIE is currently building on behalf of Housing 21, with work on a similar £10m project in High Bentham in the Yorkshire Dales reaching the halfway mark of its development recently. In addition to this, ENGIE will also be working on another three Extra Care builds in Cumbria over the coming months, with a value of approximately £60million.
Extra Care is a sector that ENGIE knows well, as a previous Extra Care development with Housing 21 – Casson Court in Doncaster – scooped the Best Partnership prize at the 2018 Inside Housing Awards, thanks to the close working relationship between ENGIE, Housing 21 and Doncaster Council.
That expertise is being brought to the development, with work expected to be complete on the project in the summer of 2021.
Lee Francis, Area Director at ENGIE, said: “This new development will allow more than 100 local residents to retain their independence, while living in beautiful surroundings and having the care they need close at hand.
“ENGIE has a long track-record of creating high-quality Extra Care developments and we are pleased to be continuing our partnership with Housing 21 and making this scheme a reality.”
Siobhan Moore, Director of Development at Housing 21 said: “We are delighted to bring our Extra Care offering to Oxenholme. We believe there is a real need for this type of housing, which enables people to continue to live independently, whilst receiving quality support.
“All of our schemes are built with community in mind and upon opening this scheme will offer a number of jobs to local people, as well as the creation of a great place for the community to come together.
“The feedback from our latest developments has been great so far, with award wins and a vast number of show home viewings from the public. We can’t wait for another Extra Care launch and look forward to meeting people in Oxenholme!” she added.
