Cruden takes over from Pochin's in Birkdale

The Belong care village on Oxford Road in Birkdale, Lancashire, was being built by Pochin’s when the contractor fell into administration in August 2019.

It will now be the fifth Belong village built by Cruden in the last decade, including sites in Didsbury and Crewe. 

Expected to open in 2021, the Birkdale village will provide dementia care and accommodation for more than 100 residents, with independent living apartments available to buy or rent. 

Birkdale was one of two developments that Pochin’s was building for Belong when it collapsed. The appointment of Cruden to take over at Birkdale follows the news earlier this month that Seddon had taken over Pochin’s contract at the £21m Belong Chester care village. Both developments are designed by Pozzoni Architecture.

Belong chief finance officer Chris Hughes said of the latest development: “Cruden has a sound track record working with us on previous villages and we are delighted to be partnering with them again to complete Belong Birkdale. With a new timetable for a 2021 village opening confirmed, we are confident our award-winning services and facilities will quickly prove an asset to both older people and the wider community.”

Cruden Construction managing director Ian Woolrich added: “We are thrilled to have secured a fifth project with Belong and look forward to resuming work on the Birkdale development. We take great pride in the fact that every village we build together is creating a place that will deliver real benefit to the local area and its people.”

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