The £6.5 million development, part of our ongoing partnering with Anchor, has been designed by Steve Jenneson of York–based architects, Jenneson Associates and consists of a timber framed three storey building, clad in reconstituted stone with a mix of single and double bedroom apartments, for sale and rent, together with communal facilities for the residents. The building will also act as a base for a care team operating 24 hours per day and seven days per week as well as a community resource benefiting local older people.

The 76 week contract is due to complete in May 2009.

The accommodation has been designed to offer spacious residences for elderly people in two bedroom apartments and bungalows to create a secure environment together with good communal support facilities and other amenities and consists of a two-storey block of 30, two bedroom apartments and 20, two bedroom bungalows and support accommodation, including kitchen, lounges, gymnasium, assisted bathrooms, office and staff accommodation, a shop and IT and hobbies room. Many of these facilities will be available for the neighbouring community.

Meanwhile, we are still working on the £1.8m Phase III of the housing development at Hardwick – a three storey block of 20, two bedroom apartments, due to complete in November this year.

Phase III will consist of one three storey block of 20, two bedroom apartments in £1.8m development, due to complete in November this year.

Having started in late August last year, the 34 week project had ran on perfect schedule, despite the additional pressure grouted foundations required due to the two storey, timber frame building being built over previous mine workings at the top of Blaydon Bank.

Under the direction of Site Manager, Ralph Thompson, and close scrutiny by Year 10 GCSE Business Studies students at All Saints College, West Denton, who chose Kendall Cross and this project as a ‘live’ example of how real businesses work, the building was handed over within budget and on time.

Juniper House will contain eight single person, self-contained apartments with office accommodation for a warden and is due to be occupied in April.

The scheme has been designed by hmh Architects for the frail and elderly and consists of 31, two bedroom apartments and 17, two bedroom bungalows, each with its own entrance, lounge, bedrooms, shower room and fully fitted kitchen, built around a central landscaped facility. Ancillary accommodation consists of residents’ lounge, dining room, laundry and hairdressing salon, together with assisted bathing and shower facilities. An on-site care team operated by Anchor Trust will provide 24 hour care and support for tenants. The scheme is specifically designed to enable older people to continue living in their own homes.

Accepting the keys from Kendall Cross Site Manager, Dave Thompson, Anchor Trust’s Operations and Development Manager, Steve Houghton, commented, “This is the third of our partnering schemes with hmh Architects and Kendall Cross and we’re delighted with the result - the quality of design and construction is superb and the scheme has come in on target and within budget with special praise to Site Manager, Dave Thompson, who has been on top of the whole project right from the start.”

“We’ve also worked very closely with Stockton Borough Council, who owned the land and who will be funding the care team, on this project and hope to rehouse many of their original tenants within the scheme. It’s part of our integrated approach to care and housing. About 40% of the tenants here will have high level care needs whilst others will have little or no care needs, however, the very fact that such 24 hour care is available and readily accessible, provides huge security to all the tenants. It’s also about flexibility and freedom of choice for tenants - each apartment and bungalow, for example, is plumbed for washing machines, but there’s also a community facility for the tenants to use if they wish - and means the building can adapt to their changing needs.”

As the Thornaby scheme was being handed over, the same team of Anchor Trust, hmh Architects and Kendall Cross were starting work on a fourth sheltered housing partnering scheme at Blakelaw in Newcastle.