Work begins on £4.4m Wigton care scheme

Construction is set to commence this month on a £4.4m specialist housing scheme on the site of the former Huntingtons Garage in Wigton, Cumbria.

The scheme is the latest to be delivered for affordable housing provider Home Group by Mulbury Care, the care division of specialist affordable housing developer Mulbury Homes. The development is being built by Manchester-based Harbur Construction.

There will be 33 homes available for residents over 55 and adults with disabilities or sensory impairments, with a further nine units for adults with learning disabilities.

All the buildings currently on the site are earmarked for demolition, which will be completed by ADM Regeneration.

Home Group is investing £2.54m in the scheme with the Homes & Communities Agency providing £1.3m and Cumbria County Council funding a further £500,000. The development is expected to be completed by in spring 2015.

Claire Morris, business development manager at Mulbury Care, said: "We've worked closely with the local and county councils to ensure that this development provides some of the much needed specialist accommodation the area desperately needs.

"This site has been left to gradually decay over time, and this redevelopment here will help to bring this key gateway back to life. The scheme has been designed with the importance of protecting the Wigton Conservation Area in mind and will be in keeping with other properties in the area."

Maria Hammond, head of client services at Home Group, said: "These care ready homes will be available to over 55s who want to live in a community of people of a similar age. The apartments will also provide homes for vulnerable people and enable them to continue to live independently."