VIVERE has announced plans to build a portfolio of extra care communities in and around Edinburgh over the next 5-7 years, providing circa 200 new extra care homes.
The business has acquired from St George’s School the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site on Coltbridge Terrace in Edinburgh, and plans to transform this into the brand’s first community of new extra care homes in the city. Vivere plans to invest some £25 million in the refurbishment and restoration of the listed buildings on the site and the construction of the new community.
Subject to planning consent, the Lansdowne House scheme will provide a combination of refurbished heritage and newly built homes, alongside communal lounges and amenities created within the main Victorian villa on the site, originally built in 1875.
Vivere is looking to acquire other sites in Edinburgh, the Lothians, and Fife. The business is looking to purchase sites that can provide between 50 and 80 homes, for either new build, converted properties, or a combination.
Vivere was formed by a joint venture between Probitas, a specialist in extra care and senior living homes, and Stephenson Group, a contractor and mixed-use investor-developer founded in 1962 with offices in Scotland, England and Wales.
The organisation is led by co-founding director Scott Curran, who was born in Edinburgh and is a qualified architect. Scott has worked in Scotland’s capital for CDA, PJMP, Balfour Beatty, MACE, and Applecross. Alongside Scott is co-founding director Beatrix Lehnert, with both directors having over 30 years of expertise in residential, commercial, BtR and PBSA projects.
Vivere business partner and co-founding director Martin Stephenson is chairman of Stephenson Group, which has an annual turnover in excess of £100 million.
For the Lansdowne House site in Edinburgh, Vivere has appointed architectural practice CDA Edinburgh, landscape architects Rankinfraser, and Edinburgh-based planning and heritage consultants Montagu Evans to help prepare proposals for the new community.
Scott Curran said, “It is our aim to create a portfolio of high-quality extra care living communities in Scotland, commencing in Edinburgh. These will be high quality homes, alongside on-site amenities and tailored care services to suit resident’s needs. Our aim is for our residents to live longer, not grow old.
“The provision of extra care communities will help to relieve local pressures on NHS services, as well as providing homes to the hugely undersupplied housing sector in Scotland.”
Martin Stephenson added, “Scotland, like the rest of the UK, has an overwhelming demand to provide housing with care and services to a large and fast-growing older demographic, but with the key difference for Scotland currently being the huge lack of supply of these tailored homes and services within the housing sector. With its development plans Vivere aims to provide a quality product to the market and help to meet the demands in the sector.”
Beatrix Lehnert said, “The forming of Vivere represents significant new long-term investment and job creation in the Edinburgh economy. Alongside delivering best-in-class extra care schemes, our approach is to partner with Scottish businesses, suppliers and operators who are local leaders in their field to provide the care services and amenities for our new communities. This way Vivere will help to create new jobs and investment in Edinburgh alongside the construction jobs generated by the building of our new projects.”
