£14m homes for elderly truly groundbreaking

Mar 21 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

A £14m scheme to provide tailored homes for elderly people in Earlestown, St Helens, has been praised by housing minister Caroline Flint.

She took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the state-of- the-art Larchfield development – an extra care scheme.

It is designed to offer independent living in 90 new one and two-bedroom homes complete with 24-hour help on hand.

This was followed up with a visit to the new Parr neighbourhood management area which is attempting to give people a bigger say in the local issues and how their services are provided.

Ms Flint told the Daily Post: “What I’m able to take back with me today is that where you involve resident and tenants in housing schemes, it makes a real difference on the ground.

“The more transparency there is in how trusts operate and the more people get to see how money is spent, the more successful a scheme gets.

“Residents have told me they really feel they are being listened to and not only is the new hou-sing of a high quality but the existing stock is being invested in properly.”

The glowing recommendations for the project, which is backed by St Helens Council and Helena Housing Association, follows a £5.3m grant from the Department of Health's Extracare Fund.

Representatives from the council and the housing association welcomed the minister’s visits and her observations.