Green light given for our home!

West Oxfordshire District Council’s planning department gave the green light to our plans to create a specially designed home for people with young onset dementia in January 2020.

Caroline Langridge, Chair of YoungDementia UK Homes said: “I am delighted that our plans to create this much needed facility can now go ahead. This decision has been a long time coming, but in the meantime the needs of people living with young onset dementia, who can no longer live at home, has not gone away.”

The planning application was submitted in partnership with the Rushy Bank Partnership which will be responsible for delivering 28 homes on the site for families and young couples from the locality through a mix of shared ownership, affordable rent and private housing.

The planning consent is subject to a number of detailed plans relating to issues such as parking, drainage, the construction materials, managing the biodiversity around the site, as well as confirming that all residents will have access to superfast broadband.

Building works must commence by January 2023 and YoungDementia UK Homes is now working to identify a registered housing provider to undertake the development of the building and manage the scheme on a day-to-day basis. This will include recruiting the staff needed to support our residents.

The original plans were drawn up by Oxford Architects more than six years ago, so these are now being reviewed and additional funding is being sought to ensure that the charity’s vision for a purpose build garden and allotment area can be realised to provide a therapeutic environment for residents.

Oxfordshire County Council will be responsible for setting the criteria for residents and will provide ongoing finance to support the running costs of the scheme.

“The charity’s focus will now turn to strengthening our links with communities in Charlbury and across Oxfordshire and looking at ways that we can build new alliances and attract funding to ensure that the care delivered in our facility is second to none,” said Caroline.