Dementia care scheme adds to Wirral Waters momentum

A planning application has been submitted for the dementia care village planned by Peel Land & Property and partner Belong at the 500-acre Wirral Waters regeneration site.

Trailed at MIPIM last month in a session that also revealed plans for an Urban Splash House modular scheme and a Harlex commercial project, the village will bring public amenities including a bistro, specialist gym, hair salon and a range of function rooms.

The complex, designed by Pozzoni, includes housing options to cater for a spectrum of abilities, including 34 one and two-bedroom apartments for independent living through to six households providing 24-hour support for up to 12 residents each.

The village will also support people in the wider community through its registered domiciliary care service, Belong at Home, and its specialist day care service, Experience Days.

Tracey Stakes, chief executive of Belong Villages, said: “Wirral Waters is a thoughtfully designed and ambitious project and we are delighted that Peel have had the foresight to include provision for later life within the scheme.

“Our experience has consistently demonstrated that older people thrive in vibrant, integrated communities and this promises to be a really exciting location for our tenth Belong village in the North West.”

Richard Mawdsley, director of development at Peel Land & Property, said: “This development will be a crucial part of our housing offer at Wirral Waters and will help to create a thriving and diverse community.

“As a society with an ageing population, this inevitably brings more complex care needs and Belong offers an incredibly vibrant, dynamic and versatile setting for residents to enjoy, whatever their needs or abilities.”

Progress at Wirral Waters has been patchy since the scheme was consented in 2010, but with much remediation and site preparation done, the pace has picked up in recent months with several pipeline schemes.

Among these are a £20m Maritime Knowledge Hub and plans, submitted by Peel in March, for a three-storey, £6m office block. Designed by Glenn Howells Architects, No. 1 Tower Road South is aimed at SMEs and will be located next to Wirral Metropolitan College.

Visual of the mixed-use Four Bridges development area, with Belong at Wirral Waters in background to the right