Newsroom
This week sees the start-of-work at our Birdsfoot Lane site in Luton to develop a 70-bed care home in partnership with Quantum Care.
We acquired the site in 2008, drew up designs with architects, and consulted with the local community, securing planning permission for the home earlier this year. Agents, Carterwood, saw interest from a number of operators before sale of the turnkey development was agreed.
All parties agree that the site is a prime location, with completion before the end of 2010.
“This is a key project for Castleoak, for a number of reasons, the first of which is the opportunity to work with Quantum Care again, which we are delighted about,” says Executive Chairman, Mel Knight.
“For some time we have been aware of the need to offer a wide range of development services to our customers and be flexible to meet their precise requirements. The key for us is being able to provide in-depth market analysis by location, identify and acquire excellent sites, bring them to market with full planning and then offer a variety of development packages on a turnkey leasehold or freehold basis. In this way we can simplify the development programmes of our customers, delivering high quality homes on ideal sites.
“We are confident that Birdsfoot Lane will be the first of a series of developments for us in prime locations over the next year.”
For Quantum Care, the appeal was in the straightforwardness and speed of the deal.
“Luton was a target location for us and, frankly, we couldn’t wish for a better site,” said Maria Ball, Quantum´s Chief Executive.
David Parry, Quantum Care’s Director of Care and Development, added, ‘’We are delighted to have a facility designed to our specifications that will enable us to provide the specialist dementia and other care that will meet the needs of the people of Luton and surrounding areas.
“Add to that the fact that the public consultation, design and planning are already all in place, we are going to be able to establish a much-needed, brand new, purpose-built care home with the shortest possible lead-time. The flexibility of Castleoak’s approach was key to us being able to secure the deal.”
Amanda Nurse, Director at Carterwood, said the Castleoak team had found an ideal site for a care home.
“The proximity of local transport links and its position at the heart of a busy community, along with the growing local need for care accommodation, meant that there was an immediate surge of interest in the site as soon as we brought it to market,” she said.