PROJECTS


£15m care home ‘lacks soul’ P


lans for a new £15m dementia care home in Kingston, Surrey, were criticised by councillors concerned about a lack of landscaping and external space.


Councillors recently gave the thumbs-up for an 80-bed home on the site of a vacant care facility in Browns Road, Surbiton. But members of Kingston Council’s development control


committee raised concerns over the approach to the provision of outdoor space. Deputy leader of the council, Councillor Malcolm Self, said at the meeting: “Time and time again, we get applications and it looks like the architect has designed a building and then thought ‘oh, we’d better put some landscaping in, so we’ll put something in quickly to make it look as if we thought about it’.” He added that, while the building itself was good, the greenery in the submitted impressions was like something


from a ‘secondary school project’, and ‘lacks soul’. The building has been designed by architects IBI Group and


aims to provide a non-institutional environment for residents. Those living in similar homes can get as little as nine


minutes of sunlight and fresh air a day, but every bedroom in this new building will have direct access to a secure patio or balcony.


Speaking at the meeting, Craig Griffin of Nuovohealth, the


council’s agent for the project, said: “The demand for dementia nursing care in this part of London is massive. “And we believe there could be demand for three to five of these homes to be open right now.”


www.ibigroup.com www.nuovohealth.co.uk


Go-ahead for Wirral dementia village P


lans to build a dementia care village in Birkenhead have been approved by councillors.


Belong Wirral is to be built on Northbank in Dock Road as part of the Wirral Waters development. The facility will provide dementia


care and accommodation for more than 100 people, comprising a mix of 24-hour care and nursing support in extended family-sized households, and independent living apartments. The £15m development will consist of 34 apartments and six households containing 72 units in total and three guest bedrooms.


The village will also house a range of


communal facilities which will be open to the public, including a bistro, hair salon, exercise studio, and function rooms.


8 mhdf magazine Tracey Stakes, chief executive of


Belong Villages, the specialist dementia care firm behind the plans, said: “We are delighted that Wirral Council has recognised the value of a Belong village within the wider scheme. “Wirral Waters is an ambitious, landmark regeneration project and as innovators in the field of dementia care, Belong will create a thriving and vibrant community within it, offering much- needed provision for later-life care in the area.” The project has been designed by


Pozzoni Architects. The council planning report stated: “The design has been carefully considered and developed in collaboration with the council, the client, and masterplanner, to achieve a scheme


which is both functional and attractive and will improve the architectural language of the area.”


www.belong.org.uk www.pozzoni.co.uk


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