£8m North Yorkshire Extra Care scheme is complete

An extra care development for people over the age of 55 in Great Ayton successfully completed construction work this week.

Thanks to a partnership between Housing 21, North Yorkshire County Council, Hambleton District Council and contractor Tolent, work was able to safely continue over recent weeks to ensure this much needed development was ready on time for the community of Great Ayton.

“There’s no denying this scheme was needed in Great Ayton as we are opening with very few apartments left for rent. We can’t wait to start getting everybody settled into their new homes!”

Gateshead-based contractor Tolent adhered to strict health and safety protocol on site, including: re-programming works to minimise the number of people on site, staggering shifts and break times, providing full time cleaning services, implementing one-way access to work areas and at all times carrying out modified risk assessments to implement social distancing.

Near to country house Cleveland Lodge, the scheme is known as Fry Court, after chocolate manufacturing firm J. S Fry & Sons – the creator of Fry’s Turkish Delight. A member of the Fry family, Sir Wilfrid Fry, once lived in Cleveland Lodge, with wife Lady Anne of the Cadbury family.

Fry Court provides 57 one and two bedroom apartments available for affordable rent and shared ownership. The scheme is Housing 21’s first extra care scheme in Great Ayton and has been designed for people over the age of 55 to promote independent living in a community setting, with access to 24/7 on-site care if this is required. Residents will benefit from a range of on-site facilities, including a café/bistro and hair salon, which are also accessible to visitors subject to social distancing. There is also a residents’ lounge, activity room, treatment room and communal gardens for residents and these will also open to the public following government guidelines.

Holly Hunton, Housing and Care Manager at Fry Court said: “I am excited to be able to now start moving residents into our beautiful new extra care scheme set in the heart of North Yorkshire at Great Ayton.

“We have faced challenges along the way, but no one could have predicted a global pandemic! I am so proud of our teams for ensuring building work could continue safely for those in need of a new home with good quality care and support.

“There’s no denying this scheme was needed in Great Ayton as we are opening with very few apartments left for rent. We can’t wait to start getting everybody settled into their new homes!”

Leader of Hambleton District Council, Councillor Mark Robson, added: “Hambleton District Council welcomes the opening of this much needed extra care housing scheme in Great Ayton. The Council has worked with Housing 21 in the development and allocation of these new homes and is delighted with the completed housing scheme which will enable residents to live independently whilst being able to receive care and support.”

Commercial director for Tolent, Paul Walker, said: “We are extremely proud of our teams who have persevered through challenging times to ensure this project could be delivered for Housing 21.

“From the start of this global pandemic, the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and supply chain partners has continued to be our number one priority. There were some fundamental changes made to our ways of working which sometimes isn’t easy to do, but our teams rose to the challenge and can all be proud of what they have achieved.”

Tolent was recently recognised for its involvement in completing the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Sunderland.

Appointed to lead a regional-wide team to transform the vacant building in Washington into a facility that has the capacity to provide 460 beds for patients with coronavirus, Tolent rose to the challenge working around the clock to deliver the temporary hospital in just over three weeks.