Good news for older people
The start of our building project, as reported in our Press Release of August 2011
Sevenoaks is to receive a welcome boost in its provision for older people, as a result of a major building project now getting under way.
Rockdale, a charitable Housing Association in the heart of Sevenoaks, has signed a £5.6M contract with construction company Mansells, to build a new 48-bedroom care home and 29 new leasehold sheltered apartments.
For the past eight years Rockdale has been preparing for this big investment for the future. Their goal is to ensure that older people challenged by frailty in their later years will still have the option of choosing affordable residential care, should they need to.
Helen Kenny, chairman of the Rockdale Trustees, said: “This is a great day for Sevenoaks. Rockdale has a fine track record of providing a secure, supportive environment which allows residents to maintain active, interesting and happy lives, often retaining their independence well into their 90s and beyond, in sheltered housing. For those who need more help with day-to-day living and personal care there has always been the option of our residential care home, Rockdale House. However, Rockdale House is an old and outdated building. The project starting today will create a brand new replacement care home with more capacity and better facilities for residents, such as more space and en suite facilities”.
Bernard Thompson, for seven years a resident of Rockdale House, commented: “Rockdale has been a lifeline for me and I feel very much part of the family here. The staff are just wonderful. It is terrific news that Rockdale House is to be re-built for future generations, instead of closing down, like many other care homes in Kent”.
Since 2003, Rockdale has been preparing for the new building, obtaining planning permissions, and raising funds. “The trustees were determined that the funding for this project should come not from commercial sources but from Rockdale’s reserves and community fund-raising” said Helen. “This preserves Rockdale’s tradition of offering affordable care for those most in need, rather than most able to pay.
“A big thank you is due to our Appeal Board, chaired by Sam Footitt, and all the individuals, businesses and charitable trusts who have supported our fundraising activities over the years. These activities have raised over £1.5M, without which this project could never have taken place. We are all fortunate to live within such a community-minded town”
The care home will be ready for occupation in the spring/summer of 2013. Fund-raising for the project will continue in the hope that the original target of £1.75M can be reached.
Notes
- The charity Rockdale Housing Association provides sheltered housing and a residential care home on its site in the heart of Sevenoaks, at the end of Rockdale Road, opposite the new Waitrose building.
- The existing residential care home, Rockdale House, houses 31 residents, and was built in the Victorian era. For many years it was the home of Sir John Laurie, who was Mayor of London. It was bought with funds raised from community benefactors by the founder of Rockdale, Beatrice Wilson, in 1948. The replacement building will accommodate 48 residents.
- As well as providing a brand new purpose-built residential care home on land adjacent to the existing home, the project will include the building of 29 new sheltered flats, some of which will be refurbished units within the old care home. These flats will be available for purchase on a leasehold basis, helping to satisfy a strong and growing demand for this type of accommodation from those who are in a position to buy rather than rent. Purchasers will be required to meet the existing need criteria for living at Rockdale, and the flats will enjoy the usual Rockdale sheltered housing benefits, such as access to a support worker based on site. It is anticipated that these leasehold flats will start to become available from autumn/winter 2013.
- The overall cost of the project to Rockdale will be £5.6M.