Speller Metcalfe welcomes Council Leader onto £15m extra care scheme

Pic: Sandwell Council Leader Councillor Rajbir Singh with Steve McGuigan, Project Lead for Speller Metcalfe

This week Speller Metcalfe welcomed Sandwell Council Leader, Councillor Rajbir Singh, onto Willow Gardens, Sandwell’s new £15 million state-of-the-art extra care scheme.

The new facility has been specially designed to allow older people to live longer in their own homes, providing accommodation to those aged 55 and over who require care or support.

Once complete, residents will be able to take advantage of the 90 one and two-bedroom apartments, alongside the on-site restaurant, additional communal areas and hairdressing salon. Support staff will also be based on site 24 hours a day.

The development, which has been designed by the council’s in-house design team, will also feature a shared garden for residents to enjoy.

Cllr Singh said: “It’s great to see how this important, state-of-the-art facility near completion. The development will enable vulnerable older people to live safely, with dignity and as independently as possible while also offering opportunities to socialise in communal areas when they choose to do so.

“The care and support this scheme will provide to some of our older residents shows the esteem in which we hold them as valued members of our community.”

Rob Lashford, regional director for Speller Metcalfe said: “This is a significant project for the residents of Sandwell who will be able to access high quality accommodation and services to meet a range of needs.

“We are delighted to have partnered with Sandwell Council on this scheme and in particular to create something that will have a lasting legacy for years to come.”

Funding for the project has come from the council’s investment programme and Homes England, with construction expected to complete this autumn.