Multi-million pound Almshouses scheme ready for residents
A MULTI-MILLION pound homes scheme has been completed and unveiled - and is set to continue a centuries-long tradition.
Coventry’s Almshouses, in the city centre, have provided homes for elderly residents since 1506.
Now, the latest addition, the £6.8m Bond’s Lodge, has been finished and is ready for residents to move in.
The three-storey development on Hill Street contains 45 self-contained apartments, with a large courtyard garden.
There are already 30 residents set to move in during October and the remaining spaces are expected to be filled over the next few weeks.
When it was founded in the 1500s the Almshouses provided homes for 11 people. That number now is more than 150.
Deeley Construction completed the project, which was designed by Nicol Thomas Architects on behalf of Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities.
The development has been funded by the charity’s own resources, fundraising, a grant from Homes England and a loan from the Charity Bank.
It marks the final piece of the Belgrade Plaza redevelopment for the Deeley Group, nearly 14 years after the firm’s first development in the area.
Victor Keene MBE, chairmanan of Coventry Church (Municipal) pal) Charities, said: “It’s thrilling to see it completed. The flats are e stunning, the kitchens and bathrooms are really lovely and I think the residents will be over the moon.
“It’s going to deliver real benefits to people in the area. It’s for people who have housing difficulties and have financial needs.
“Deeley Construction have been really good to work with and the quality of the workmanship speaks for itself. The charity is now over 500 years old and we still have the existing buildings. So we have every expectation that these will last us another 500 years!
“We feel fortunate that this site became available close to two of our principal Almhouses, so it creates a little village right in the middle of the city.”
Eleanor Deeley, deputy managing director of the Deeley Group, said: “It’s amazing to see Bond’s Lodge come alive and it is an excellent product as part of the mixed-use scheme at Belgrade Plaza.
“We believe it is an exemplar of city centre living with retirement living next to student and market rental, therefore a real example of intergenerational living and how new communities can be developed.
“Our work here started over a decade ago and was a catalyst for much needed regeneration in Coventry, so it’s a huge milestone for us to see it completed.”