A much-needed £11.9m ‘Extra Care’ development in Shropshire has been completed and handed over to The Wrekin Housing Group – eight months ahead of schedule.

Keon Homes, which is working on similar schemes at William Farr House in Shrewsbury and Streethay in Lichfield, highlighted the unprecedented achievement at a special open day for existing and future clients.

The affordable homes and social housing specialist has taken just twenty months to build the 70-strong mix of one and two-bed apartments, with private gardens and a communal café.

Ideally situated just a ten-minute walk into the market town of Newport, Queenswood will provide high quality living space and wraparound care and support for people over the age of 55.

Speaking at the event Matt Beckley, Partnerships Director at Keon Homes, said: “Although we have a team that are experienced in terms of Extra Care, this is our first foray into the market as a company. And what a success it has been, with the site handed over to the highest standards and eight months early…that’s unheard of in this sector.

“Queenswood has been a remarkable story from the very start, where we worked together with a master developer to unlock a complex parcel of land for this type of development. In turn, it meant the entire site could be built out.”

He continued: “This approach is something we are rolling out to other open market housebuilders. Many don’t want to construct Extra Care schemes as they aren’t their ‘bread and butter’, but increasingly the big masterplans call for older people’s accommodation to be present. In essence, we can work with them to get an operational partner in line and solve a problem.”

More than 50 people were present at the special open day, enjoying a guided tour of the landscaped gardens and the new apartments and communal spaces at the Queenswood scheme.

They heard how Keon Homes has used a mix of traditional and modern construction methods in the build, including concrete floor plans manufactured offsite and 200mm think hollow core floor plans throughout the building, all topped with an acoustic Isorubber layer.

This approach achieved the dual benefit of reducing build time by eight months and providing an EPC ’A’ energy rating through the communal areas.

IP-based assistive technology has also been incorporated throughout the building, including warden call systems, fall alarms, wandering alarms and door access controls.

Matt went on to add: “The strength of our relationship with The Wrekin Housing Group was paramount to the speed of completion, with both parties working in partnership to build the highest quality Extra Care space for the people of Newport.

“We also wanted the development to have a real ‘local’ impact, with 50% of the entire project spend directed to suppliers within a 20-mile radius.

“Other notable achievements, include 16 apprentices being employed on site throughout the duration of the build and 162 work placement hours completed, giving young people the opportunity to gain valuable experience of a possible career working in construction.”

Simon Thompson, Director of Development at Wrekin Housing Group, said: “We’re delighted that works have been completed at Queenswood, our new extra care scheme delivered in partnership with Keon Homes.

“We have made a firm commitment to deliver quality homes that people can be proud of and there is a clear demand for affordable housing for the over 55s in Newport and the wider Telford and Wrekin area.

“This has been a great project to work on, from initial planning to handover, and I’d like to thank our partners at Keon Homes for their hard work in helping us to bring it to fruition. We’re now looking forward to welcoming our new tenants over the coming weeks.”

Queenswood was recognised earlier this year in the NHBC Pride in the Job Awards, with Keon Homes’ Matt Wilkes named as the overall Regional Winner for the West in the Multi-Storey Builder category, following earlier securing the Quality and Seal of Excellence titles.

For further information, please visit www.keonhomes.co.uk or follow the company across its social media channels.