Community consultation begins on £14m. development plans for derelict Burnley hospital land

Members of the public were able to have their on say on the £14m. development, the first of its kind in Burnley at a first community consultation.

Lead provider the Calico Group, along with partners from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Burnley Borough Council, the University of Central Lancashire, Lancashire County Council, Participation Works and architects, Brock Carmichael, is working closely with people in the area to develop the scheme.

The development intends to provide specialist assisted living accommodation in a neighbourhood setting, aimed at improving people’s quality of life and reducing social isolation.

It will be designed primarily for people aged over 55 who require extra support while maintaining as much independence and dignity as possible.

The consultation brought valuable engagement and feedback from members of the public, allowing them to have their say on the development and share their own experiences, along with several organisations who support older people.

Wendy Malone, director of development at Calico Homes, said: “It’s great to hear such insightful comments from the consultations.

"We are keen to include the general public in this process and will take in to account the feedback to create safe, efficient homes for those who need them. Although it’s still in the early stages, I look forward hearing more from local people as this project develops.”

Coun. Lian Pate, Burnley Council's executive member for health and wellbeing, said: "It's exciting to see this proposed scheme to provide specialist medical support to improve the

quality of life of local people.

"I'll be following this project closely and I'm glad that people have been given the opportunity to give their views on this scheme."

Michael Cosser, partner at architects Brock Carmichael, said; “We bring our experience in medical centres, assisting living, regeneration and place-making to the table knowing how important this project is both to Calico Homes and to the town.

"This will be another example of how we work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary, public and private sector teams to ensure the project is delivered to time and budget. We look forward to helping to deliver this vital project to the town and to improving housing choice, health and wellbeing there with a project everyone can be proud of.”