Local housing provider Grand Union Housing Group (GUHG) has submitted a planning application to expand their extra care scheme at Quince Court in Sandy to almost double its existing capacity.
The scheme currently has 26 one-bed and 4 two-bed apartments, a large communal lounge, kitchen and laundry room. Customers have individual care packages provided by the on-site care provider based at the scheme 24 hours a day.
Dave Lakin, Director of Development and Commercial, said: “We’re pleased that we will be able to offer more retirement accommodation in the market town of Sandy.
“The new part of the scheme would provide a further 25 self-contained apartments, each with a balcony, dual aspect and their own front door. These would link to the main building via pathways and open walkways with the first floor providing a roof terrace to overlook the courtyard garden.
“We are delighted that all the feedback we have received so far, from Councillors, community consultation and current residents, has been overwhelmingly positive, with encouraging comments about the modern design of the apartments and the proposal for the courtyard garden. It is excellent to have such strong support from our local communities.
These expansion plans are not the only investment that Grand Union has been making in its homes for older people. Earlier this year a new digital living solution by Appello was installed at Quince Court, replacing the previous analogue system, giving customers a modern and flexible system which provides more security and reduces social isolation.
Mark Green, GUHG’s Independent Living Manager, said: “Customers now benefit from apartment-to-apartment video calls, video door entry systems, upgraded smoke detectors and pendants. Buttons have been replaced with tactile touch pads, meaning they’re more accessible for our physically and visually impaired customers.
“This new technology also reduces connection times to the Appello alarm centre from minutes to just seconds, which makes a significant difference to customers in an emergency or life-threatening situation.
“Our customers have been very impressed by the speed of the system and how easy it is to use. We can monitor the calls to see when and where support calls are generated which means we will be able to improve the service we offer.”
