A DEVELOPMENT OF 30 specialist care apartments in Elgin has been completed at a cost of £6million in just over a year.
House builders Springfield Properties have created the development in partnership with Hanover Housing Association with the name ‘Linkwood View’ selected by local nursery children.
There will be live-in staff on rotation with access to the office space and a communal hub creating a social area for the residents. Made up of 30 wheelchair accessible apartments, six of the self-contained flats are tailored to meet the needs of residents with dementia.
Springfield Properties Director for Affordable Housing, Tom Leggeat, said: “The completion of the Linkwood View apartments marks a huge milestone for us. This is our largest specialised care project – and we will be looking for opportunities to create specialised housing like this elsewhere in Scotland.
“Not only will the Linkwood View residents have a space to call their own, but the flats have been designed to make life easier for them. Units are lowered, windows are longer, doorways are wider and switches have been positioned so that the home works with residents in wheel chairs.
“We’ve been working closely with dementia care specialists too to ensure six of the flats would be suitable for sufferers of the condition. The kitchen doors are fitted with glass panels reducing the frustration caused by the confusion of forgetting where things are kept, the switches and sockets are in a contrasting colour to the wall and there is a clear line of sight to each room.
“There is a feature wall along the edge of the building that has utilised the original stone from the Linkwood Steadings just around the corner. The residents at Linkwood View will be within walking distance to a local shop, coffee shop, doctors surgery, dentist, pharmacy and a key bus route.”
Hanover Projects Manager, Julie McKinnon, added: “We are absolutely delighted to take handover of the completed development at Linkwood View of 30 two bedroom properties made up of 20 extra care flats, six flats specifically for people with dementia, and four wheelchair adapted flats, for older people in the Moray area.
“Springfield Properties have been an excellent developer to work with bringing the project to completion, within budget and to a high standard of workmanship and quality. Springfield staff have provided the Association an excellent service working in partnership with the us which I believe has contributed to the success of this new development.
“We are all very proud of what we have achieved in providing a high standard of accommodation and communal facilities for tenants and visitors. The unique communal hub area will facilitate tenants to meet up for coffee and a ‘blether’ as well as organised group activities.
“The first floor provides a ‘cosy’ recessed TV area as well as an area for seating overlooking the main entrance to the development. The courtyard is absolutely stunning and I have no doubt that the tenants will love to spend their free time pottering around in this area.
“Hanover has worked in partnership with Moray Council Health and Social Care to provide this innovative development providing housing and services for older people in the area. We are all very excited in welcoming the first of our tenants to the development in the very near future.”
Customers are expected to start moving in as soon as next month.
(Pic: Springfield’s Director for affordable housing Tom Leggeat, Hanover Project Manager Julie McKinnon and Springfield’s Project Manager Neil Smith.)