Blakeborough House
S105 Consultation details for Blakeborough House, Atherton
Sheltered accommodation
Sheltered accommodation provides homes for older people, allowing residents to live a full and active life in their local community, whilst having support and safety within their home environment. Wigan Council owns and operates over 1200 sheltered and extra care homes across the borough. Wigan Council has a responsibility to ensure that all sheltered accommodation meets modern standards to meet the needs of their residents.
Blakeborough House
Blakeborough House was built in the 1960s. As such its design does not meet modern sheltered accommodation standards. There are a number of bedsits and studio flats in Blakeborough House which would not be considered suitable accommodation for older people in current times. The remaining apartments are smaller than we would expect for older people’s accommodation and do not have the turning circles to allow full wheelchair accessibility meaning that if your needs change, you may have to move to meet your housing needs or struggle to remain in your current home. In addition to this the heating system is not energy efficient and is out dated, meaning you may incur higher costs than they need to for their energy bills.
Consultation
We have completed the first phase of consultation and considered the feedback. We are now moving on to the second phase in which we would like to consult with you on our proposals which have been sent by letter to residents and included in the frequently asked questions on phase 2 of this site. Therefore, we are starting a second phase statutory consultation period for six weeks. The consultation will run from 22nd August 2024 to 3rd October 2024.
Your views
We value your input and want to ensure that all residents and their families and carers have the opportunity to contribute to the consultation. It is important that you have an opportunity to give your feedback so we can listen to your concerns about the building, whether you feel it is satisfactory and meets your personal needs or any suggestions you may have for the long-term use as a sheltered accommodation scheme. We understand that you may also have family members who may want to provide their own views and we welcome feedback from them also. We may also talk to residents living in the local community to seek their views and opinions at a later date.
We would like to re-assure you that no decisions have been made at this stage and as this is your home, we are seeking your views first and welcome any feedback you have.
If you have any concerns, then you can speak to your scheme manager or contact the sheltered accommodation team on 01942 486549.
Open for participation
Phases
Blakeborough House Feedback Phase
Consultation outcome
Further to our consultation in August 2024, we are now in a position to confirm planned refurbishment of Blakeborough House.
The response from the second consultation in August was overwhelmingly positive and as a result the Sheltered Investment team have been working on the planning application and tender process to move forward with the proposals to improve Blakeborough House as sheltered accommodation which were shared at the consultation.
Feedback and response
We have sent this information via letter to all residents including a copy of the comments received during the consultation and our response to those comments. We have also incorporated comments received within the proposals we are now working on.
Project update
We wanted to keep you informed and update you on actions carried out on this project. We can therefore confirm that we have completed the following:
1. We have submitted a planning application for the small extension to the office, the removal of the external front fire escape stair and the remodelling of the flats in the front wing
2. We have prepared tender documents to get a contractor to carry out the works
The tender process will involve some contractors visiting Blakeborough House to look around over the coming months. We will ensure these visits are kept to a minimum.
We intend to start the works in April 2025. Once we have a contractor on board, we will meet with all residents again to talk through the process of the works, making sure you are fully informed of the works in your properties and when they will be done. We will also provide an opportunity for you to meet with the contractor and their resident liaison officers before the works start.
As you know we visited most properties to ensure that the kitchen designs meet your requirements. We have included with this letter a plan showing the layout of your new kitchen. We understand that sometimes plans are hard to read so if you wish for us to come and explain the plan to you please let us know and we will be happy to come and see you.
We have also included a copy of the plans with the letter sent to all residents for your records. We wanted to draw your attention to the new bin store which we have had to include since the consultation. Since the Grenfell report was published, there is a requirement for bins to be stored a distance away from any residential building, so we are having to move the bins to the rear garden area. They will be fenced off and we will agree with the bin collection team to collect them from the Bolton Road gate.
If you have any concerns, then you can speak to your scheme manager or contact the sheltered accommodation team on 01942 486549 or via email on communitylivingschemes@wigan.gov.uk
Thank you for your cooperation and all your feedback in relation to these works.
Upcoming and ongoing events
Past events
Event date: August 28th, 2024 from 12:00 to 14:00.
Blakeborough House
Event date: October 19th, 2023 from 10:00 to 12:00.
Blakeborough House