The Mayor of Fareham, Brian Bayford, his wife Councillor Susan Bayford and Paul Allen, CEO of Abbeyfield, a national charity that aims to enhance the quality of life for older people, attended a ground breaking ceremony in Locks Heath to celebrate the commencement of an extra care development with a total scheme cost of £2,217,064 that will provide housing for older people in the community.
Alongside the Mayor and Mayoress of Fareham, the event to mark the start of the build was attended by senior staff of Abbeyfield, volunteers, current residents, members of the community and members of the planning team of Fareham Council.
Neil Thompson, the Housing Manager at Locks Heath, has plans to utilise the communal space within the new build, which will enable him to invite the community in to share the new Abbeyfield facilities on a regular basis. He said: “I can’t wait for the building to be completed, its a really exciting concept and I’m eager to put in place some of my plans about involving the community more once we’ve moved the residents in and they are settled. Up until now this hasn’t been possible due to restrictions on space, so as far as I’m concerned once everything is completed the sky is the limit.
Samantha Alleyne, Abbeyfield’s PR & Marketing Officer, said: “The Locks Heath build is an exciting milestone for Abbeyfield. It is the very first of the next generation of developments that Abbeyfield plans to deliver nationwide over the next few years. In particular, I’d like to thank both the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) who presented us with a social housing grant of £844,000 as capital funding for the project and Fareham Borough Council which provided £150,000.”
On the gloriously sunny day Paul Allen presented an engraved trowel to a PCM apprentice; the builders contracted to work on the build and, along with the Mayor of Fareham, planted a cherry tree to mark the special day.
Six of the current residents are scheduled to move into the building by Christmas 2010 and the development is due for completion by summer 2011.