Site Earmarked for Specialist Care Scheme with Facilities for Community
The site of the former Chuter Ede School and Community Association is proposed to house a new extra care development of around 120 apartments.
In addition, it is proposed that the development will incorporate a café and multi-use spaces for activities that be open and accessible to the general public.
The site will be developed and managed by Karbon Homes as part of a partnership to bring forward much needed accommodation for adults with care needs across South Tyneside.
Architects are now preparing designs for the scheme, which would consist of a mix of one and two-bed apartments. It is anticipated that 20 of the apartments would be specifically for people living with memory impairments such as dementia. The development would be for anyone over the age of 18 with a care and support need and would have a 24/7 on site care team, alongside the housing support team.
The development would support the Council's ambitions to build strong communities and help people stay well and healthy throughout their lives.
Cllr Joanne Bell, Lead Member for Governance, Finance and Corporate Services at South Tyneside Council said: "We've been clear that the Council's long-term plans for the site have been for housing, and it provides a fantastic opportunity to develop Extra Care accommodation for adults with care needs.
"We also recognise the need for modern facilities for local people to use, and it is fantastic that these can be integrated into the development.
"It's a really exciting concept for the site; integrating specialist housing into the wider community and supporting people to live independently.
"I'm glad that the Council has managed to support those groups who previously occupied the Community Association, following the Community Interest Organisation's decision to close earlier in the year. We now turn our attention to clearing the site for development over the coming months."
Chuter Ede Community Association will close on 3 September 2023 and planning permission has already been granted for the demolition of the old and inefficient building, which is no longer fit for purpose.
The Chuter Ede site is one of a number of projects which form part of the Council's wider Adult Social Care Accommodation Strategy aimed at supporting people who may need extra help to live independently in the community. This is in direct response to feedback from residents who said they would prefer to live well independently, rather than go into residential care.
Zoey Hawthorne, Assistant Director of Development Delivery at Karbon Homes, said: "We're proud to be working with South Tyneside Council to deliver much-needed, specialist, affordable accommodation options for the borough and are working closely with them to design three Extra Care schemes that meet the wants and needs of local people.
"Our vision for the new schemes is to create strong and sustainable places that help empower people with additional care and support needs to live life to the full.
"We're also committed to ensuring community is at the heart of all three schemes, incorporating social spaces into the design, as well as a bistro cafe and multi-use spaces for activities, all of which will be open to the general public to help bring the community together."
A planning application for the new Extra Care scheme is likely to be submitted early next year. If approved, work would start towards the back end of 2024 and take around 24 months to complete.
Cllr Bell added: "Chuter Ede would be the first site of its kind in South Tyneside to bring together extra care housing, community facilities and playing pitches provision all in one place."
As part of the Council's partnership with Karbon, plans for an Extra Care scheme at Hebburn have already been submitted and are expected to be considered in the coming weeks.