Snowden Court, an empty and rundown sheltered housing scheme in the London Borough of Havering, was demolished this week to make way for 98 new 'extra care' homes for people over 55.

The development, located on Squirrels Heath Lane in Gidea Park, will include self-contained one and two bedroom apartments in a secure environment, along with specialist care, support and housing services. Havering Council is working with East Thames, which has over 30 years' experience providing housing and support in east London and Essex.

The scheme will provide flexible support to meet the residents' care needs and will be equipped to provide additional care services 24 hours a day (the extra care element), should their needs increase in the future.

Twenty of the units will also be available for older residents to purchase under shared ownership – a part-buy, part-rent scheme where people purchase a share in their home, whilst paying subsidised rent on the remainder.

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The £12 million+ scheme is being part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which has provided social housing grant of £5.33 million. East Thames has put in a further £7 million. The development will include a range of new facilities including a hairdressers, guest suite, resident lounge and a restaurant. It will also feature a terrace garden for residents, which will complement the new landscaping throughout the grounds.

The scheme will be built to high levels of sustainable design, meeting the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. This means that it will include various energy, water and waste saving measures, and generate 20% of the energy used in the homes from a renewable source. The buildings were designed by architects Penoyre & Prasad and are now being built by Willmott Dixon Plc for completion in January 2013.

Geoff Pearce, East Thames director of development and asset management said: "With an ageing population, schemes like this are in high demand. Older people will see this as a good opportunity to downsize their home and move into a beautifully designed, purpose-built development, with support available should they ever need it. What's more, residents will get a choice in how independently they live, as their support will be tailored to their needs."

(CD/KMcA)