Member Article

New director strengthens the team of Britain’s biggest builder of extra care

Regeneration specialist Keepmoat has appointed Paula Broadbent to oversee its provision of extra care and supported housing in the UK.

Keepmoat, the largest builder of extra care schemes in Britain, has appointed Mrs Broadbent to the role of Retirement Solutions Director as it seeks to increase the number of extra care and retirement units it constructs every year from 400 to 1000.

With people living longer and Britain ageing population growing rapidly Keepmoat is acutely aware of the pressures that local authorities face to provide modern accessible housing for people who want to downsize, but are adamant about not wanting to go into care homes.

Mrs Broadbent, who joined Keepmoat four years ago, previously worked for North Yorkshire County Council where she led their extra care housing development programme, promoting partnerships with registered providers, which delivered more than 600 units over four years and continues to deliver further schemes.

She has also worked for some of the country’s largest specialist housing associations including; Sanctuary, Hanover, and Housing 21.

Since 2002 Keepmoat has constructed more than 4,000 extra care and retirement units in Britain with the purpose of embedding and integrating extra care services into the heart of communities, providing older people with a place to call home in the community they have always lived in.

Mrs Broadbent said it was Keepmoat’s caring, innovative approach to the construction of extra care housing schemes that had most impressed her.

She said: “In North Yorkshire I worked with Keepmoat for a number of years and colleagues and I were instantly struck by how much Keepmoat invests in sourcing the right solution for extra care in each community.

“Keepmoat is much more than a contractor; they have a “can do” attitude and continually strive for the best results for their customers and the whole community.

“When working on regeneration projects where there is potential to include an extra care scheme, Keepmoat ensures the project works for the whole community and puts a focus on longevity of good quality housing, with access to supporting services and opportunities for lifelong learning, training, employment and care when needed. This approach makes sure an extra care scheme is properly integrated into the community.”

Keepmoat has just started work on a £7m, 60 unit extra care scheme in Scarborough as part of the Middle Deepdale master plan. The project will see the development of 1,350 new homes over the next 10 years.

The extra care units, built in partnership with Sanctuary Group, are being constructed in the first phase of the master plan. The units are located on a boulevard at the heart of the development opposite a proposed new primary school and closely linked to an existing housing estate, which will benefit from wider regeneration activity over the coming years.

The extra care scheme will also provide three new retails units, a gym accessible for all ages, a restaurant, and a community hall, as well as a 24/7 on-site dedicated care and support team offering services to people in the scheme and the surrounding area.

Dave Sheridan, Keepmoat CEO said: “Paula has a tremendous wealth of experience and expertise when it comes to planning, designing and developing extra care schemes. Paula cares passionately about providing the very best facilities for vulnerable residents and this ensures she maximises the benefits for residents on every Keepmoat development.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Walker .