Two more council-owned sites in Southwark have been allocated for the construction of ‘twin’ almshouses which will be eventually be occupied by the borough’s older population.
Southwark’s Cabinet approved a report on Monday March 16 outlining the allocation of the sites for the almshouses, which is a type of affordable housing for the borough’s older residents who are aged 65 or over and in housing need.
United St Saviour’s Charity will be in charge of operating the two sites, which are located at 1 Ann Moss Way and 153 – 159 Abbeyfield Road both in Rotherhithe, close to Southwark Park.
The Southwark-based charity has historically provided almshouses for older people since the sixteenth century.
According to a Cabinet report, each site has the potential to build 20 to 30 one-bedroom flats, which is the most appropriate size from an operational perspective. The schemes will provide 100 per cent affordable housing and will be delivered using Section 106 contributions from private developments.
Appleby Blue almshouse has been compared to a Scandinavian spa and was awarded the Stirling Prize for architecture last year
The scheme builds on United St Saviour’s award-winning Appleby Blue almshouse on Southwark Park Road in Bermondsey which was compared to a Scandinavian spa and was awarded the Stirling Prize for architecture last year.
The almshouse model forms part of Southwark’s Older People’s Housing Strategy and has helped to tackle the housing crisis by creating affordable housing solutions, while also freeing up existing council homes for families as older residents are likely downsizing from larger properties.
Relatedarticles
Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, said: “We are really lucky to have United St Saviour’s and Southwark Charities in the borough doing really innovative work on older people’s housing and we’ve recently brought forward our Older People’s Housing Strategy [which] really recognises the needs to look at older people’s housing particularly with an aging population and with increasing housing need.
“So I’m really excited that we’ve now identified in this report two further sites where we can work with United St Saviour’s to develop two more almshouses; they already have an almshouse in the Rotherhithe area so this will mean there’s a network of three almshouses that they can really work and manage effectively together.”
In order to qualify and be considered for United St Saviour’s almshouse accommodation, residents must be at least 65 years old and must have lived in the borough for at least three years. They also need to show that they can live independently – with help from carers if necessary – and can demonstrate financial need and are eligible for charitable support.
More details on United St Saviour’s can be found here.
