Wednesday 30th June, 10am to 4pm, Oxlip House, Airfield Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP32

A new housing development in Bury St Edmunds will offer elderly people rented or shared ownership accommodation, as well as providing extra care to those who need it.

Located only three miles from the town centre, Oxlip House will provide 52 one and two bedroom flats, 39 of which are available for shared ownership to older people who require care and support.  The remaining 13 apartments will be available to rent to anyone aged 55 or more and requiring care and support.

Developer Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (bpha) received requests to view the show flat at Oxlip House before it even opened and has already confirmed eight reservations on properties in the development.

An open day was held on Wednesday 30th June, when local councillors and other interested parties were able to view the newly-opened show flat. The event was hosted by bpha and The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), a charitable care provider, which will run the facilities once complete.

Residents who require extra care will be able to access 24-hour support from OSJCT’s onsite health care teams, and bpha’s Carelink system, an emergency call facility. The facilities allow residents to lead independent and fulfilling lives whilst ensuring that help is at hand when needed.

Roy Hind, Head of Intermediate Tenure at bpha said, “We’re very excited and have had a lot of interest even at this early stage. Our show flat was open for viewings from 12th April but advertising in advance of this resulted in a high level of interest in a short space of time from potential applicants. Many people wanted to come and see the flat straight away. We’ve had eight confirmed reservations and the total number of enquiries has increased to 63 and is continuing to grow.”

Oxlip House will be ready for its first residents at the beginning of September 2010 when the entire development will be complete.

Leanne Olding, OSJCT’s County Finance & Business Manager said: “We’re very proud of Oxlip House and we’re looking forward to developing our unique brand of quality care and support services in Bury St Edmunds.  We hope anyone with an interest in the new development will come to talk to us and see the site for themselves on 30 June.

“Together with bpha, we have a wide range of experience in the provision of high quality services for older people to help ensure Oxlip House will be a high quality environment and a valuable part of the community in Bury St Edmunds.”

Those invited to attend included Suffolk, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire County Councils, along with representatives from Age UK (formerly Age Concern), the Alzheimer’s Society, local schools, organisations and Suffolk Constabulary.

For more information on Oxlip House, please contact Roy Hind on 01234 221 334 or roy.hind@bpha.org.uk.