With Britons living longer and having greater needs for mobility facilities in the home, the need for homes that are either converted or custom-built for those with disabilities, be they lifelong, age-related or the result of accidents, has never been greater.
For that reason, it is always good news when more homes are built specifically for this purpose, something that a number of developers specialise in.
An example of this is the Audley Scarcroft Park, a £52 million retirement village that is to be built in Leeds. Audley has signed a deal with Graham Construction to build the village, the third partnership between the two firms, which will provide 22 cottages and 106 apartments for retired people. These will, of course, be built with all manner of design features intended to make later life easier.
Jonathan Hall, Managing Director of Graham Construction in England, said: “It’s great to have added another retirement living village of this nature to our portfolio with the Audley Group.”
This will be a mixture of new construction work and the modification of an existing building. Following groundworks, Graham will begin work on 18 buildings, but will also restore the Grade II listed Scarcroft Lodge.
Built in 1830, the lodge will become the home of the Audley Club, providing both property owners in the village and local residents with a range of facilities including a restaurant, health spa with a hydrotherapy pool, a gym and a wellness pool.
Of course, to some people, getting easy access baths, never mind access to a hydrotherapy pool, is their priority. While custom-built retirement properties may offer these, many ordinary homes may need conversions to be installed to ensure that elderly and disabled people are able to make the most of their bathing and showering facilities.
However, one area that is set to see a significant boost in the number custom-built homes for elderly and disabled people is North Ayrshire.
As the Daily Record reports, plans to construct 94 homes on the sites of three former schools in the district include homes with special amenities such as bungalows with bespoke wheelchair access. The plans will be the subject of a public consultation.
