Extra care housing provider Preferred Homes is growing its development pipeline, with progress across four sites in the south of England.
These sites, in Crawley, Exeter, Bicester and Camborne, build on the extra care developer and operator’s growing portfolio, across more than a dozen locations, including several in planning and construction.
Preferred Homes delivers ‘affordable’ rented homes with onsite care and support services to help older people who cannot access suitable homes from the private rental market.
It has acquired the former St Catherine’s hospice site in Crawley, West Sussex, and submitted a planning application for 83 affordable apartments. In Exeter, Devon, it has exchanged contracts to acquire a former leisure centre site owned by Exeter City Council. Preparations are underway to submit a planning application for 71 extra care apartments.
In Bicester, Oxfordshire, it has secured planning approval for an 82-apartment scheme, with construction expected to start in the coming months. Finally, in Camborne, Cornwall, it has secured planning permission for 74 apartments.
A registered provider of social housing, Preferred Homes has plans to deliver up to 50 developments over the next seven years. It already has two open schemes in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and Telford, Shropshire, with its third site in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, set to open this year.
All of the affordable housing provider’s schemes feature shared facilities, including community cafés, smart home and assistive technologies, communal gardens and car parking.
‘With a number of our developments progressing across the country, Preferred Homes is quickly becoming a leading provider of affordable extra care housing. Our developments are meeting a critical need for suitable housing and effective care for our ageing population,’ said Findlay MacAlpine, Preferred Homes chief executive officer.
‘It’s great to see local authorities recognising this and a wider awareness building around the importance of affordable extra care housing for rent. We’re now operating nationally and working closely with councils to identify areas where extra care housing can make the biggest impact.
‘Our close partnerships ensure we’re not just filling gaps but delivering homes that meet the needs of local communities – which will be critical as we continue to scale our portfolio.’