With their names inscribed on a granite plaque, local resident
Bernice Barrow and Birmingham City Council's Cabinet Member for
Housing, Cllr John Lines, unveiled the new stone, along with
ExtraCare's Partnership Director John Payne and the Homes and
Communities Agency Area Manager, Birmingham and Solihull, David
Rhead.
Mrs Barrow, who is considering moving to the Village with her
husband Earl, said: "The security that this Village promises to
give is very important to me, and I look forward to seeing Pannel
Croft open. When the showhomes open in December, I hope to go in to
see them and think, "Yes, this is for me.""
Already, 220 households have registered their interest in moving
to the Village before applications open. Show homes are expected to
open to the public by December 2011.
Nick Abbey, Chief Executive of The ExtraCare Charitable Trust,
said: "We are very pleased to be celebrating this milestone in the
development of Pannel Croft Village.
"There is a demand for affordable, high-quality homes for older
people in Newtown, where they can enjoy activity and independence
while still being part of a community, and we are excited to be
able to provide this for local residents."
The charity's Community Relations Worker, Ian Jennings, who has
spent the last few months meeting local residents, said: "I am
really looking forward to going through this process with the local
community, and seeing a building become a village and these houses
become people's homes. I believe it will be the most dynamic,
vibrant village that we have."
Due to open in Spring 2013, Pannel Croft Village will provide
180 apartments for more than 200 local residents over the age of
55. It is the second of five villages being developed by The
ExtraCare Charitable Trust and Birmingham City Council. The Homes
and Communities Agency has also invested nearly £9 million into
Pannel Croft and the Department of Health has given a further
£3.2m.
Birmingham City Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr John
Lines, said: "This ceremony cements the excellent work of the
partnership between Birmingham City Council and ExtraCare. This
development will pave the way for another high-quality retirement
village, which will provide excellent facilities and quality of
care for its residents."
David Rhead, Area Manager for the HCA Midlands, said: "Pannel
Croft is an important part of the wider regeneration of Newtown,
where our joint investment has generated good momentum to enable
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust to commit to delivering this
important scheme for local people. The foundation stone marks an
important milestone for Pannel Croft and for local people who have
been involved and supportive of the changes in their area."
The Village is providing around 30 ExtraCare jobs locally and an
additional 16 trainee and 17 apprenticeship roles on the
construction site with community regeneration specialists Frank
Haslam Milan (FHM), who are delivering the scheme.
Watch a video of the day!
Pictures (clockwise from top):
ExtraCare's Partnership Director John Payne, Birmingham City
Council's Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr John Lines, the Homes and
Communities Agency Area Manager, Birmingham and Solihull, David
Rhead, and potential resident Bernice Barrow lay the foundation
stone at Pannel Croft Village in Newtown, Birmingham.
Bernice Barrow poses at the Foundation Stone ceremony at Pannel
Croft Village, Newtown.
John Payne, Cllr John Lines, David Rhead and Bernice Barrow
Bernice Barrow
Bernice Barrow, John Payne, Cllr John Lines, and David Rhead
unveil the Foundation Stone.
See more pictures on Flickr.
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Henson, PR officer
0789 105 3062
lucy.henson@extracare.org.uk
Richard Tower, PR manager,
0772 055 3658
richard.tower@extracare.org.uk