Over the next three years the consortium will build 390 extra care apartments in villages at three sites across the city.
The retirement villages will be located at:
- Holdcroft Fields, Holdcroft Road, Abbey Hulton
- the former Brookwood Home and Blurton Farm Depot, Consett Road, Blurton
- the former Westcliffe Hospital, Turnhurst Road, Chell.
Sapphire, which also includes Seddon Construction, Your Housing Group and Kajima Partnerships, has been selected to deliver the villages based on a private finance initiative (PFI) procurement process which started in November 2011. Sapphire was one of four bidders to be shortlisted in March 2012. The consortium will build, finance and operate the retirement villages over a 25-year period in partnership with the council.
Sapphire has submitted a planning application for each village. Designs have been developed by PRP Architects, specialists in extra care design, using information compiled during dialogue with the council. The determination of the planning applications is expected early this year to allow a construction start date of spring 2014.
The apartments are for people over the aged of 55 and are expected to be fully-occupied by 2017. Facilities include one-bed and two-bed self-contained apartments in a community setting, with communal lounges, restaurant facilities, a launderette, landscaped gardens, hair and beauty salons, gyms and a variety of social and activity events.
Eric Wright director Richard Turpin said: "The consortium that we put together for this project has worked in partnership to develop a compelling bid and we are looking forward to making our plans for the villages a reality for the people of Stoke."
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