More extra care housing coming to Oxfordshire in 2022
People in Oxfordshire aged over 55 and with additional care and support needs will soon be able to benefit from a new extra care housing scheme in Didcot, due to open next year.
Work on the new development at the Great Western Park site in Didcot, began on 30 June with a groundbreaking event and is being built by Housing 21 – a specialist housing provider – with the land provided by Oxfordshire County Council under a long-term lease.
Extra care housing provides a higher level of support for people with care needs who want to remain independent.
Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “I was delighted to be able to attend the groundbreaking event in Didcot. Extra care housing is something I’ve felt very passionately about and have been promoting in the county for some time now. This exciting new scheme will even provide more support for residents countywide.”
Once complete, the new facility will provide 80 additional extra care housing units all 100 per cent affordable housing. Sixty units will be available for rent, while the remaining 20 units will be provided under shared ownership.
All flats will be self-contained and accessible one and two bedroom properties, with communal areas and facilities for residents. On site facilities will include a café/ bistro, hair salon and communal lounge for both residents and local people.There will also be 24 hours call out facilities as well as planned care for individual residents, giving all residents the peace of mind that help is available when they need it.
Work is set to complete in December 2022, with residents due to start moving in from early 2023.
Debbie Hope, Head of Development at Housing 21, said: “We’re thrilled to have reached this exciting milestone in Didcot. This new development will provide much needed, high quality accommodation to support local older people and their changing needs. People have their own front door in a busy community setting, with 24/7 support from our on-site care team if needed.
“We have designed the buildings around an internal courtyard which provides plenty of important, open green space. The development is also in an excellent location close to the many facilities of Great Western Business Park.”
Oxfordshire currently has 17 extra care housing facilities, and this one, alongside additional facilities being built in Chipping Norton and Wallingford, will bring the total to 20 by the end of 2022.
Find out more about extra care housing in Oxfordshire on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.
More information
- Housing 21 is a not-for-profit, leading national provider of Retirement Housing and Extra Care for older people of modest means. For more information about Housing 21, visit www.housing21.org.uk