Work starts on £10.8m scheme on former school site

Work is underway on a multi-million pound scheme which will see a care home, apartments and affordable housing built on the site of a former school in West Yorkshire.

Wildgoose Construction was chosen as the main contractor to create 69 apartments and a 50 bed care home in Keighley by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

The scheme on the site of the former Bronte Middle School will provide 36 two bed and 33 one bed extra care apartments with communal areas, lounge, activity room, restaurant, offices, hair salon, therapy room and offices.

Next to this will be a 50 bed care home with lounge, dining areas, gym, offices, associated parking and gardens.

Designed by Bradford architects Langtry-Langton, it is part of Bradford Council’s Great Places to Grow Old Scheme and will support a drive for older people to maintain independent living.

As part of the wider project, Wildgoose will also be constructing 51 new homes in a contract worth £6.6m on an adjacent site. Made up of two, three and four bedroomed properties, the homes will be a mixture of terraced and semi-detached affordable houses built on behalf of the council.

Jonathan Wildgoose, executive chairman of Wildgoose Construction, said: “We are delighted as a company to secure such significant contracts to provide much needed facilities and homes for local communities.

“We have completed a range of projects across the Yorkshire region in recent years and it is important to get repeat business from a client we have worked with previously.”

Work has now started on both sites with the 51 homes to be completed in May 2018 and the care facilities and apartments by the end of October 2018.