A plan for 375 homes in Wirral for those who may otherwise have to go into care is set to be completed by 2025.
The homes will be ‘extra care’ properties, in which residents have access to carers but are able to live independently, something which helps them and saves the council money.
The homes will be delivered in sites in Rock Ferry, Liscard and Upton, among other parts of Wirral.
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Wirral Council’s current extra care programme has already delivered 179 homes since builders went onto the first site in the programme in 2016, with the remaining 375 to be completed by 2025, making a total of 554 over the period of the programme.
Speaking at tonight’s meeting of Wirral Council’s adult social care and public health committee, Simon Garner, the council’s lead commissioner for all age independence, said we are “certainly going to deliver” the 554 homes by 2025.
Cllr Simon Mountney, a Conservative, questioned a more long-term estimate by the council that 2,985 homes for specialist older people’s accommodation, which includes care homes, extra care homes and any other time of supported living for older people, will be needed in Wirral by 2035.
He asked if people are living longer and healthier lives, does that mean the numbers for this type of accommodation can be revised down slightly.
Mr Garner explained that more work will be done to assess how many units are needed in Wirral and how much desire there is for extra care housing in the borough.
Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Phil Gilchrist, said his perception was that we were now on a trajectory where people spend more years in poor health with disabilities and that is something that the council’s research needs to look into.
Cllr Chris Jones, who represents Labour, supported the plans for more extra care housing, saying we all know people who would not want to go into a nursing or residential care home and that extra care was the “ideal setup” for some where they can get the care they need.
The 375 homes to be built by 2025:
- 102 homes at Rock Ferry High School, Rock Ferry, in a Torus scheme. To be built by 2022/23
- 53 homes at Greenheys Road, Liscard, in a Magenta scheme. To be built by 2023/24
- 34 homes at Belong Village, Wirral Waters. To be built by 2022/23.
- 80 homes at Moreton Road, Upton, in a Housing 21 scheme. To be built by 2024/25.
- 46 homes at The Stirrup, Arrowe Park Road, in a Magenta scheme. To be built by 2023/24.
- 60 homes at Pasture Road, Moreton, with the provider and completion date yet to be confirmed.
The 179 homes already delivered:
- 15 homes at Balls Road, Oxton, in an Inclusion Housing scheme. Completed in 2017/18.
- 19 homes at Pensby Road, Heswall, in an Inclusion Housing scheme. Completed in 2018/19.
- 20 homes at Old Chester Road, Birkenhead, in a Chrysalis Supported Association scheme. Completed in 2019/20.
- 26 homes at Bidston Village Road, Bidston, in an Inclusion Housing scheme. Completed in 2019/20.
- 21 homes at Barncroft, Irby, in a Magenta scheme. Completed in 2020/21.
- 78 homes at Woodpecker Close, Saughall Massie, in an Alpha scheme. Completed in 2021/22.
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