VIVERE Extra Care Group has received minded to approve planning consent for Edinburgh’s first fully integrated community of extra care homes.
The firm plans to invest circa £25 million to restore and refurbish the historic buildings on the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site at Coltbridge Terrace, providing 48 care homes and creating over 100 construction jobs – including an apprenticeship programme for 16-25 year olds.
Alongside the care homes, the development will feature communal resident lounges and facilities, on site parking, landscaped gardens and Edinburgh and Scotland’s first zero carbon 5G heat network – located on the vacant brownfield former lower school campus site of St George’s School.
Central to the proposals is a commitment by Vivere Extra Care Group to protect, conserve and sensitively refurbish the listed buildings – alongside new build elements which will be designed to complement the character of the Victorian buildings.
Inside the main two-storey Victorian villa, all heritage rooms on the ground floor will be fully retained and restored to provide communal lounges and shared amenity spaces for residents. The facilities will include a bistro, private dining, a multi-purpose room for a range of activities, and a hobby/craft room encouraging socialising. The rooms on the upper floor will be transformed into heritage apartments offering large living spaces and retained period features.
The scheme will also offer a health club, activity area for classes such as pilates and yoga, a physiotherapy treatment room, and post-operative services. The on-site management team will support residents on a day-to-day basis and estate management services will ensure the maintenance of the buildings and grounds.
In the grounds, the current modern buildings will be replaced with new high quality buildings – with the grounds enhanced with landscaped gardens, including the reinstatement of the original sunken garden of 1875, with new planting and existing trees protected in order to enhance the residential character and quality of the place.
The landscaping will enhance the biodiversity of the site by increasing the percentage of usable green space by creating a range of garden types, with green and blue roofs enhancing biodiversity as well as slowing rainwater down before going into the main drainage system.
The new extra care community will help to address the demand in Edinburgh for age-appropriate housing with 24/7 care services that supports residents to age-in-place and retain their independence, an alternative to a care home.
Scott Curran, co-founding director of Vivere Extra Care Group, said, “Vivere Extra Care Group is pleased to have gained a ‘minded to approve’ planning consent from The City of Edinburgh Council for Edinburgh’s first fully integrated community of extra care homes on the 2.2 acre Lansdowne House site. We thank The City of Edinburgh Council and members of the local community for working closely with us to help finalise our proposals for the project.”
Vivere co-founding director, Beatrix Lehnert, added, “This is an important step in the provision of much needed extra care housing in Edinburgh. Lansdowne is the first of four planned developments we have in the pipeline in Edinburgh over the next five years. Our proposals are aligned with the Scottish Government’s ambition to both raise life expectancy in Scotland and the provision of suitable housing and amenities for older people which help to enhance their health and wellbeing.”
