Plans have been approved for a major new extra care scheme at Cleckheaton that will provide 80 apartments for local people over the age of 55, who have a connection to the local area.

The scheme, located on Kenmore Drive, will be developed by Housing 21, in partnership with Kirklees Council and Leeds based Brewster Bye Architects. All the one and two bedroom apartments will be available for rent.

Designed to promote independent living in a community setting, a care team will be on-site 24 hours a day to deliver planned care packages to residents if needed. It will offer people their own home, with a range of facilities including an activity room, communal lounge and gardens. An on-site hair salon and café/bistro for residents will also be open to the public, subject to government guidelines and social distancing rules when the scheme opens.
Clare Hemming, senior property development manager at Housing 21, said: “The scheme will provide much needed affordable homes for older people in the area, with on-site, tailored care and support packages available to help residents live independently for as long as possible.”

Emily Cain, from Leeds based Brewster Bye, said: “This four-acre site has been designated for development since 1954, so securing this planning permission is fantastic news for both the development team and Cleckheaton as a whole.

“The scheme is specifically designed to the Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) principles for older persons, with an extensive range of amenities, which will make it a special place to call home. We’re now looking forward to work starting on site in Spring / Summer 2021, with the development ready to move into during late 2022.”

This will be Housing 21’s first extra care development in Kirklees. The organisation is a not-for-profit, leading national provider of retirement housing and extra care for older people of modest means and manages more than 20,000 properties, providing over 42,000 hours of social care each week.