Invited guests celebrate the breaking of ground at Shorey Bank
Published Friday 19 August 2016 at 15:17
Work has started on the £12.4million Shorey Bank development as the ground was officially broken to mark the start of the Darwen project.
Invited guests, including Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Mohammed Khan, attended a special ground-breaking ceremony at the Frederick Street site, where representatives from Together Housing Group, Blackburn with Darwen Council, construction firm Keepmoat and MP Jake Berry also gathered.
The 119-home development will include a Housing with Care scheme comprising of 85 self-contained apartments, with on-site facilities including a residents’ lounge, restaurant, hair and beauty salon and secluded gardens.
The Housing with Care scheme will be available for people 50 years and over who have an assessed need for care. The scheme will be complemented by 34 two-bedroom bungalows also being built on the site for people over 50 years of age.
The new development is also fantastic news for employment opportunities in the area with 12 new apprenticeships created and being trained up to NVQ Level 2/3.
The development will be completed in spring 2018.
Councillor Mustafa Desai, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Executive member for Health and Adult Social Care said:
This scheme will provide high quality care and increased services and accommodation for older people in the borough and will help them to carry on living their lives as independently as possible.
The development also offers them some wonderful on-site features and I am excited to see the project start and look forward to see it coming to life.
Sue Lewis, Together Housing’s Head of Supported Housing, said:
This is a huge undertaking by the Together Housing Group and one we’re delighted to be making in partnership with the Council and Keepmoat.
We have a number of similar schemes across the north of England, which are so valuable to older people who need that extra bit of care and support to continue living within their own home, with the added extras of facilities close to hand to enjoy and within a community setting.
Our new development will provide fantastic homes for older people in the Borough and we are delighted that the building work is now underway.
Frank Mondino, area director for Keepmoat in the North West, said:
We have worked in partnership with Together Housing and Blackburn with Darwen Council on previous projects and this scheme embraces our shared vision of providing quality housing options for the ageing population in Lancashire.
We have delivered substantial extra care and specialist projects for older people and this new facility in Darwen will not only provide a safe environment, but the on-site amenities will buoy social inclusion.