Green light for expansion to multi-million pound care village

PLANS for an expansion to a multi-million-pound care village in Birmingham have been given the green light.

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust has been granted planning permission to build 16 cottages as part of Bournville Gardens, the charity’s fourth retirement village in Birmingham.

The cottages will comprise a mix of two and three bedroom homes for purchase by the over 55s.

The cottages will be equipped with the latest technology so they will be easily adaptable to the changing needs of residents over time.

The cottages form Phase Three of Bournville Village Trust’s College Green development, on the site of the former Bournville College on Bristol Road South. When complete, it will combine housing for older people, including affordable homes for rent, with on-site health and social care facilities such as a GP practice and pharmacy.

The development features a range of social and leisure facilities, including a café bar, hairdressing and beauty salon, fitness suite, greenhouse, library and IT suite. The 212-home retirement village, which opened last year, is home to more than 300 people.

Construction on the cottages will begin this autumn, and the first residents are expected to move in during late 2017.

Each cottage will feature a master bedroom with an additional one or two bedrooms, a fitted kitchen, spacious living room, shower room and either a small private garden or a combination of balcony and patio area. The future-proofing includes charging points for mobility equipment and ‘knockout panels’ in walls and floors to incorporate hoists.

Residents will also be able to share the care services at Bournville Gardens where an on-site team delivers support to a third of the community in their own homes.

Mark Curran, Development and Sales Director for The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, said:  “Increasingly older people are looking for new opportunities to enjoy later life and this means providing innovative homes with the latest technology that support independence and offer a real alternative to traditional care provision.  These cottages provide that alternative and are a welcome addition to our thriving community here at Bournville Gardens Village.”  

Peter Roach, Chief Executive of Bournville Village Trust, said: “We are very pleased to be working with the ExtraCare Charitable Trust again on the next exciting phase of College Green, Bournville’s flagship care village.

“Once complete, the village will be home to around 400 people and these homes in particular will offer older people the opportunity to live independently but with the benefit of the other fantastic shared facilities at Bournville Gardens and the wider village, including a health and well-being centre.”