Oxlip House, Bury St Edmunds, the new multi million pound
state of the art housing development operated by The Orders of St John Care
Trust (OSJCT) and the Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (bpha), will be
officially opened on Wednesday 17 November 2010.
Terry Fuller, East of England Director of the Homes and
Communities Agency (HCA) will perform the ceremony, which has been organised by
OSJCT and the bpha, in partnership with St Edmundsbury Borough Council and
Suffolk County Council.
More than 50 guests will attend the ceremony to
celebrate the completion of the 18 month project, including residents, staff,
local dignitaries and executives from OSJCT and bpha as well as representatives
from their development partners.
Located
three miles from the town centre, Oxlip House provides 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 are available for rental.
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.
The
first residents moved into the home last month and so far 26 of the 39 shared ownership
apartments and 10 of the 13 rented flats have tenants.
John Cross,
Chief Executive at bpha said, “The show flat was open for viewings from 12th
April, and since then the level of interest we received was remarkable. We
believe that this success has come not only from the high demand of care
required to meet the needs of our aging population, but also the shared
ownership option. This offer is quite unique and ideal for anyone who wants to
have greater control of their living environment and potentially see a
financial return on their property.”
Leanne
Olding, Lincolnshire County Finance & Business Manager from OSJCT 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.
“This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work
undertaken by all involved parties, who have been committed to developing a
modern, fit for purpose care facility on this site.
“This new development is part of
an ambitious programme to develop facilities that meet the current and future
requirements for the care of older people and I’m sure that Oxlip House will be
a great asset to the local community.”
Colin
Noble, Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Services, Suffolk County
Council said: “I am delighted to see another Very Sheltered Housing Scheme
opening in Bury St Edmunds, bringing the opportunity for people to purchase
their care through the allocation of Personal Budgets, for both tenants and
leaseholders. This is precisely the type of development our Flexi-care strategy
is designed to achieve.”
Cllr Anne Gower, St Edmundsbury Borough Council Cabinet
member for Housing said: “The Very Sheltered accommodation at Oxlip House
provides independent living with the comfort of knowing there is someone on
call 24 hours a day. As the demand for this type of housing grows the partnerships
that have delivered this scheme will become even more important”
For more information about purchasing or renting at
Oxlip House please
contact Louise Connolly on 07949 234381 or louise.connolly@bpha.co.uk.