Land deal heralds new care development in Solihull
NEW care facilities are set to be developed in Solihull following a land deal between the borough council and a Black Country property firm.
The local authority has sold two sites to Walsall-based Upward Property Estates following a two stage tender process.
The Solihull Lodge sites, in the south of the borough, comprise 0.388ha (0.96 acres) fronting onto High Street at the junction with Greenslade Road, and 0.21 ha (0.52 acres) on Yardley Wood Road, at the junction with High Street. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.
Commercial property agent CBRE was briefed to find a buyer able to provide affordable adult social care to replace the former council-owned and run care homes, Sunhaven and Coombes House, which were situated on the sites.
Upward Property Estates was selected as the council’s delivery partner for both sites. Upward is a specialist housing provider for vulnerable adults. The company’s Upward Care arm provides tailored supported care and extra care services.
The company is planning an extra care development on the larger High Street site. In total, it will comprise 33 apartments, tenant’s lounges and a restaurant. The facilities will be available to people aged 55 and above suffering with dementia and with an assessed care and support need.
At the Yardley Wood Road site, Upward will build 18 apartments, two bungalows and tenants lounges, available predominantly to adults with learning disabilities, also with an assessed care and support need.
CBRE advised the council’s Strategic Land and Property and Care Commissioners teams, leading on the marketing process to balance affordable care provision with site viability and deliverability and to ensure best value was achieved for the council.
Caroline Mitchell-Sanders, a director in CBRE’s regeneration and development team, said: “Providing cost effective social care is a major challenge for many local authorities. With the help of our specialist markets team we were able to identify potential developers for the sites and help deliver a key council policy. Upward have a solid track record in delivering accommodation with care and support for vulnerable people.”
Simon Griffiths, director of Upward Property Estates, said: “After a tough and rigorous two stage tender process, we are very excited and looking forward to redeveloping the former Sunhaven and Coombes House care home sites in Solihull Lodge. We will be developing high quality housing for some of the most vulnerable people in the Solihull area, whose housing options at present are very limited.”
Upward will file a formal planning application for the developments later this summer. Work on site will begin next year, with the schemes operational from spring 2017.
