£54 million contract signed and works to commence for major development of a senior living village in Flitwick
Monday, 23 May 2022
We've signed a £54 million contract with Farrans Construction to deliver a new senior living village.
Built on the site of the former leisure centre, Steppingley Road will be an extensive development and will include a residential 72-bed care home, 88 independent living apartments for the over 55s and an 8-bed short stay unit.
The development will also contain a pub-style café, medical rooms, a hairdresser, and a community space including extensive gardens and attractive pathways connecting the development to the leisure centre and the neighbourhood.
This is the fourth major development to be built to support our housing strategy for older people and evidence of our significant investment to provide more accommodation choices for older people. We want Central Bedfordshire to continue to be a great place to live – so that’s why we are providing flexible homes to meet local needs and give everyone the best quality of life possible. The care home will replace Ferndale when it is reprovisioned.
This extensive development will be built on the site of the former leisure centre in Flitwick. Designed by architects, Oliver and Robb, the building will be built to the highest sustainable standards using Passivhaus criteria to deliver a super energy-efficient building. Work on the site is due to start on site in June 2022 with the care home and, independent living apartments due to be complete in 2024.
The core building is designed to meet dementia-friendly guidelines and the best energy performance standards, known as Passivhaus, to deliver the healthiest of environments, help reduce our energy demands in the future and contribute toward lowering our carbon footprint.
Julie Ogley, our Director of Adult Social Care, Health, and Housing said:
After a robust tender process Farrans were awarded the contract based on best value, quality and their strong track record and expertise in delivering construction projects of this nature on time and to budget.
Councillor Eugene Ghent, our Executive Member for Assets and Housing said:
Our housing stock needs to work for everybody, and this older person’s village is a huge step forward in delivering our ambition to deliver variety in housing choices. I am looking forward to the moment when the development is open.
We know there is strong demand for healthy and safe later life living with people looking to live in supportive communities with good access to community facilities.
This new community offers significant health benefits and more manageable social care costs. More than this, these vibrant communities will help people to remain independent for longer and enjoy their later years to the full.
Cathal Montague, Regional Director at Farrans, said:
This is an exciting milestone as we prepare to begin on-site with this important project for Central Bedfordshire Council. The Steppingley Road senior living village will progress the council's agenda to deliver future-proof, high-quality residential facilities. We have a strong relationship with the council and we are currently making excellent progress on Marigold House in Leighton Buzzard. We completed Hendon Hall for Signature Living in February of this year. Our team will be bringing our expertise and knowledge of the senior living sector to the Steppingley Road senior living village, meeting dementia-friendly guidelines and incorporating the highest standards of sustainability to achieve Passivhaus accreditation.