APARTMENTS for the elderly in Coventry City Centre are ready for their first residents.
Bond’s Lodge, a £6.8 million three-storey development on Hill Street, features 45 self-contained apartments and a large courtyard garden for residents to enjoy.
Deeley Construction completed the project, which was designed by Nicol Thomas Architects on behalf of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities.
The new development is the latest addition to the historic almshouses in Coventry, which were founded in the early 1500s and are now sheltered housing schemes for elderly citizens in the city.
It will take the number of residents within the almhouses to over 150 – they were home to 11 people in 1506.
The development has been funded by the charity’s own resources, fundraising, a grant from Homes England and a loan from the Charity Bank.
There are already 30 new residents ready to move in to the new apartments in October, with the remaining spaces expected to be filled over the next few weeks.
Front – Eleanor Deeley (Deeley Group) and Victor Keene MBE. Back – Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities and other partners.
Victor Keene MBE, Chairman of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities, said: “It’s thrilling to see it completed. The flats are stunning, the kitchens and bathrooms are really lovely and I think the residents will be over the moon.
“It’s going to deliver real benefits to people in the area. It’s for people who have housing difficulties and have financial needs.
“Deeley Construction have been really good to work with and the quality of the workmanship speaks for itself. The charity is now over 500 years old and we still have the existing buildings. So we have every expectation that these will last us another 500 years!
“We feel fortunate that this site became available close to two of our principal almhouses, so it creates a little village right in the middle of the city.”
The development marks the final piece of the Belgrade Plaza redevelopment for the Deeley Group, nearly 14 years after the firm’s first development in the area.
Eleanor Deeley, Deputy Managing Director of the Deeley Group, said: “It’s amazing to see Bond’s Lodge come alive and it is an excellent product as part of the mixed-use scheme at Belgrade Plaza.
“We believe it is an exemplar of city centre living with retirement living next to student and market rental, therefore a real example of intergenerational living and how new communities can be developed.
“Our work here started over a decade ago and was a catalyst for much needed regeneration in Coventry, so it’s a huge milestone for us to see it completed.
“This is an extra-care scheme for local people, which will enable them to live in the centre of the city and thrive in a fantastic environment.”
