A new 15 x one bed apartment block has unveiled in Grimsby by North East Lincolnshire Council this week, offering independent living opportunities to meet the area’s adult social care needs.
The new apartment block, situated on the corner of Convamore Road and Eleanor Street in the town, has been given the name ‘Cordage View’ to pay homage to the former cordage mill that was located nearby.
Grimsby Cordage Mill made twine and nets and was one of the largest purpose-built cordage mills in England at the time.
Cordage View has been under construction for 18 months, and has had to overcome numerous challenges to reach project completion.
The project is the Council’s first ever residential new build and was designed and built to meet the needs of North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s service users who have physical and learning disabilities.
The new building features secure fob-entry doors and gates with video calling capability.
The building is ‘futureproofed’ to enable easy installation of adaptations to meet resident’s individual needs. There is a fully wheelchair ready apartment and wheelchair access in all flats, wet rooms, tracking concealed in pelmets to support future installation of hoists and other features making the scheme ready for adaptations.
A £650,000 Department of Health grant enabled installation of technology to support independent living, providing a system that can be added to in order to meet additional needs of the individual tenants.
Local construction firm J C Pomfret Construction Ltd. were responsible for the build and used local labour to complete the project. The firm also worked with a national recruitment agency to provide apprenticeship opportunities to local youngsters.
The Council’s regeneration partner ENGIE helped to oversee the project, offering technical advice throughout.
Golden Lane Housing are the registered provider for the site and Living Ambitions have been appointed as the care provider.
Councillor Callum Procter, portfolio holder for economic growth, housing, and tourism at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “I’m thrilled that this project has been completed and that we now have a greater capacity to offer independent living solutions for many of our vulnerable residents.
“This project has faced many challenges – the site itself was a brownfield site in an area we are keen to regenerate and required flood mitigation and deep piling.
“And like many construction projects of this type, we ran into material difficulties as the COVID pandemic struck, but we persevered. That we are now seeing this site open and residents beginning to move in really is testament to the hard work of all those organisations and the people involved. It’s been a huge success.”
Stephanie Ledgerwood, Property Technical Design Manager at ENGIE, said: “I’m delighted to see this project complete and the building coming into service for vulnerable residents in the area.
“We have worked closely with the developer and our partners project team throughout the development, overcoming a number of challenges, and it is rewarding to finally see this building opening.”
Amy Clarke, Care and Independence Manager at North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“I’m very pleased that the CCG has been able to work closely with all the partners involved to develop Cordage View, as it will enable 15 people to live in their own homes within a local established community. For many this means moving away from the family home for the first time or moving on to more independent living after gaining skills in shared services and this accommodation gives them the opportunity to live a more ordinary life.
“Working with partners has been key to the success of this development which has helped to ensure people’s needs can be met now and for many years to come, through the support of housing, social workers, occupational therapy and an experienced care provider.”
John Pomfret, Managing Director of J C Pomfret Construction Ltd, said: “A complex job from the start – contaminated land, flood risk issues, exceptionally poor built-up ground requiring expansive piling, a tiny footprint and not one, but three COVID lockdowns over a period of one year, all testing the resolve of all concerned but, despite all this our dedicated team still managed to deliver the project within budget.
“It’s been a pleasure working with the team from the Council and ENGIE, and I hope that we can work alongside them in the future.
“I’d like to give a special thanks to Andy Smith our Site Foreman and Cost Consultants, Sutherland Consulting, Excell Electrical, Haith’s Heating, T M Flooring and all of the design and constructure team.”
Emily Collinson, development manager at Golden Lane Housing:
“We are delighted that 15 people with a learning disability are moving into these fantastic apartments within their community. It is our first apartment development in this part of the country, and have worked closely together with North East Lincolnshire Council, the CCG and Living Ambitions to ensure safety is at the forefront while people move into their home due to the COVID-19 situation.”
“Our housing officer has used technology to carry out virtual tenancy sign ups prior to people moving in as we are currently unable to meet face-to-face. This has given tenants and their families the opportunity to understand their tenancy and discuss any questions. Everyone was very excited to be getting the keys to their new home.”
Wendy Salt, Regional Director of the East Midlands at Lifeways, of which Living Ambitions is a part, said:
“We are excited to be working with North East Lincolnshire Council, North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Golden Lane Housing to welcome Cordage View to Grimsby’s community.
“It’s a privilege to be part of a project that benefits local people to live with physical and learning disabilities.”
Caela O’Hara, Area Operations Manager at Lifeways said:
“We are so pleased to support individuals at Cordage View. The service will give adults in the community a place to thrive and boost their independence.
“It’s been a pleasure welcoming people to their new apartments. We look forward to providing extraordinary support to create life-changing outcomes for people.”
People who live at Cordage View will receive support from a Living Ambitions Support Team. Living Ambitions is part of Lifeways, the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.
Lifeways’ 11,000 staff currently support almost 5,000 individuals who live in 1,500 supported living and residential services across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Cordage View opened to residents in February.
Article and image from NELC.
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