A care organisation has unveiled a £3 million plan to help older people retain their independence.
Pendine Park has applied for planning permission to build 21 extra care apartments near the town centre in Grosvenor Road, Wrexham.
The luxury two-bedroom flats have been designed specifically for older people, including those with disabilities and other care needs.
The existing Edwardian property dating back to 1908 would be kept and would house one of the apartments and communal areas.
Conveniently, the site is just around the corner from the offices of Pendine Park’s domiciliary care company, Independent Living.
The organisation is working in partnership with Rossett-based construction firm, Rofft Developments.
They also built Pendine Park’s flagship Bodlondeb care home which was judged to be the best dementia centre in the UK in 2010.
If the scheme gets the go ahead from Wrexham County Borough Council, work would start immediately with the first residents moving in the summer of 2015.
Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft explained: “The scheme will complement our existing services with the provision of luxury extra care apartments.
“The residents will be able to access all of the services and amenities of Wrexham by living centrally, something very much encouraged by government policy and at the same time having the ability to receive a menu of care service as appropriate to their needs.
“We’re looking at encouraging people to remain independent for as long as possible, particularly couples where one maybe actually supporting the other who is less well.
“We want to find a way of providing the services that are needed at that time – so that would be through domiciliary care support and that could be on a 24/7 basis or simply occasionally as and when required.
“Importantly, it will also offer the opportunity for some people to remain economically active while being the main carer and for people to have that opportunity just to lead their own lives and have that sort of break from what is essentially 24/7 caring activities.
“A great deal of attention will be paid to communication technology and security and of course energy efficiency.
“The technology will range from basic communication equipment to some quite advanced computerised systems.
“For instance, if the resident wanted, we would be able to have external monitoring to flag up if anyone has fallen.
“Again if they wished, we could also have technology to tell us if somebody’s gone through a door in the night time and hasn’t come back again.
“One of the key elements of the offering would be to give peace of mind both to the individual or the couple and their families, both in terms of knowing that their needs can be met but very importantly issues around security.
“The apartments will be designed to ensure that if people’s needs increase they haven’t suddenly got to find another place to live obviously say in terms of wheelchair access, accessibility and so forth.
“In addition, we’re retaining the existing Edwardian villa which we believe has considerable architectural merit in a conservation area and that will become one apartment and also communal areas for residents.
“We would recreate the original front garden behind a newly-built sandstone wall.
“This scheme dovetails with Government policy designed to reinvigorate towns and offer the people the opportunity to be independent through access to services and security.
“If we are given planning consent, construction would commence this summer and our first residents would be taking up residency in the summer of 2015.”
