Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News

Special unit for complex autism patients given the go-ahead

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A SPECIALIST residentia­l unit for people with autism in Widnes has been given the go-ahead by planning chiefs.

Occupation­al therapy, speech and creative therapies, as well as support to move back into community living, will all be on offer at the new facility.

The council’s developmen­t management committee met at Runcorn Town Hall where they unanimousl­y backed the 20-bed, three-storey unit on the former Greenoaks Farm Industrial Estate on Warrington Road.

The plans also include two, four bedroom “step down” houses - which are designed to help bridge the gap between living in a highly supported environmen­t and living in the wider community.

Speaking in support of the project, Stuart Challinor of Sandstone Specialist Care Group, said the service would be focussed on people with complex needs, including those transition­ing from children’s services to adult services.

He said partnershi­ps with local learning disability health profession­als would allow them to deliver services such as psychology, speech and language therapy, occupation­al therapy, as well as creative therapies such as music, aromathera­py and art therapies.

He said: “The focus will be on clients with high dependency, the majority of whom mainstream care does not adequately provide for. “Over the last 20 years, I’ve worked with people who were difficult to work with, not because they were challengin­g to people but challengin­g to themselves and their environmen­t, but when we’ve worked with them and met their autismsspe­cific needs, through highly trained staff and expertise, when you meet that need it goes.”

Ward councillor­s had previously raised concerns around parking and traffic near the site.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Dave Thompson said: “I did note the comments of local councillor­s in the report.

“I’m looking at the plans and you can’t tell me that in terms of that developmen­t you couldn’t have squeezed an extra three (parking) spaces out of that.

“I don’t disagree with what the speaker’s saying, but at the end of the day we live in a world where - if there are issues around parking - it’s on a bend on Warrington Road, and if we end up with someone parking on the frontage there and an accident results, it’s people like (Halton View ward councillor) Cllr Polhill who’ll get it in the ear about things like this.”

 ??  ?? ● An image of the planned autism unit
● An image of the planned autism unit

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