Permission given for extra-care housing scheme at Seacroft

Planning permission has been granted for an extra care scheme to be built in Seacroft and will see 64, one and two bedroom apartments built.

They will be independent and self-contained, but are attached to extra support provision, such as health and social care. The scheme also helps alleviate social isolation through access to shared facilities, dining and activities, and provides on-site and 24/7 emergency or unplanned care – an additional feature that differentiates it from other forms of retirement living.

The scheme is being delivered as a partnership between Home Group, Leeds City Council and developer Morgan Sindall Later Living and is set to be completed in 2022.

Coun Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Communities, said: “Extra care housing is extremely popular as it offers tailored accommodation and individual support needs to older people. There’s a critical shortage of this housing and I’m delighted that this new programme will help towards achieving our target of 1,000 extra care homes across the city by 2028, enabling us to continue to support some of our most vulnerable of residents.”

Laurence Basturkmen, managing director of Morgan Sindall Later Living, said: “Developing purpose built housing which can maximise independence and reduce feelings of isolation is essential for enhancing the wellbeing of older people, and this development in Seacroft will achieve just that."

He added that the recent lockdown and social distancing restrictions had highlighted the impact of being cut off from other people and how the need for 'community' is valued now more than before.

He said: "Over recent weeks, many of us will have experienced some element of social isolation and the challenges that come with it. The value of feeling part of a community is evident now more than ever, and we hope that schemes such as Seacroft Crescent will provide that for Leeds’s older residents.”

The Seacroft site is the second of four that Home Group is working on with the city council. One at Westerton Walk in West Ardsley is due to be completed next year.