South Shields care scheme breaks ground

A housing provider is moving forward with plans for a new supported living development.

Newcastle-headquartered Karbon Homes has started construction on a 124-apartment Extra Care scheme on Benton Road in South Shields, designed to support adults with varying care needs to live independently for longer. 

Developed in partnership with South Tyneside Council, the project replaces the former Chuter Ede school and Ede Community Association and aims to address the shortage of supported accommodation locally.

Delivered by Robertson Construction North East, the four-storey development will be arranged around a central courtyard and will include 25 specialist apartments for residents living with dementia. 

The scheme also incorporates community-focused features such as multi-use activity spaces and a bistro café open to the public.

Energy efficiency is a key element of the design, with heating and hot water provided by air source heat pumps and additional energy generated through solar panels. 

Artist's impression of the proposed scheme

Zoey Hawthorne, group director of development at Karbon Homes, said: “It’s fantastic to be on site marking the start of our second Extra Care scheme in partnership with South Tyneside Council.  

“This is the largest Extra Care scheme we’ve delivered to date, bringing affordable, quality and efficient homes that meet the needs of the local area. 

“One of our key ambitions for this project is to provide homes that cater for a diverse mix of residents, from young adults with additional needs to those living with dementia.” 

Elliot Robertson, chief executive at Robertson Group, added: “Extra Care provision plays an incredibly important societal role and to be delivering a second scheme for Karbon and South Tyneside Council demonstrates their confidence in our team to create high-quality, sustainable homes that offer a supportive place to live. 

“Karbon has developed an Extra Care model that combines specialist design, flexible care provision and community access, giving residents greater independence while ensuring support is available when required. 

“It is with a great sense of pride that we can continue our relationships to deliver a building that enables this model to work in practice, contributes to long term care provision across the region and brings additional community wealth through our work on site.”  

The scheme marks the second Extra Care project built by Robertson for Karbon and South Tyneside Council, following an earlier 95-apartment development in Hebburn.

Part-funded by Homes England through Karbon’s strategic partnership, the project contributes to the delivery of more than 2300 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire by 2028, including specialist accommodation for those with additional support needs.

Councillor Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, added: “It’s exciting to be breaking ground here at Benton Road, on the second of our new Extra Care schemes in the borough. 

“Residents have consistently told us that they want to remain living independently in their own communities for as long as possible, rather than moving into residential care.  

“That’s why we’re committed to providing a range of specialist accommodation options across South Tyneside so that people with different needs can remain living with support in the borough, staying connected to the places and people that matter most to them.” 

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