A NEW residential block recently approved for Annan will be strictly for people aged 55 and over, it has been confirmed.
Wheatley Homes South was last week given planning permission by Dumfries and Galloway Council to construct a new facility in Shawhill Road/Springbells Road in Newington.
This is a unique development because it’s not exclusively for the elderly – but has a cut-off age for people in their mid-50s.
Planning papers describe the residential flats as a “Livingwell facility for independent living for over 55s.”
At last Wednesday’s planning committee, Lochar Councillor Ivor Hyslop asked the developers: “Would there be opportunities for younger people to get a chance if they required a specific type of housing?
“I think some are on ground floors, so if someone was in a wheelchair for example but didn’t meet the 55 years old part. Would they still get the opportunity to look at something like that?
“And what other facilities are there? I think you mentioned trying to bring lonely people together. Is there a communal room in there?”
Julie Williams, of Wheatley Homes South, replied: “No, our allocations policy is that the Livingwell model is for people aged 55 and above only.
“It’s a separate service so we wouldn’t be housing people under that age whilst that policy is in place for the Livingwell block.
“There’s a common area, there’s kitchen facilities there. You might find that they have bingo or karaoke, and I think recently at one of the sites we got a telecoms provider to come in and they did digital workshops with the residents.
“It’s led by the customers who live there and what they need. A member of staff based there would work with the residents within that block to organise facilities and workshops.”
The homes are to be eco-friendly with solar panels and air source heat pumps, while the plans also include 1.2m and 1.8m high boundary fencing, along with parking spaces and landscaping.
The council received six objections from neighbours, four of which are in Shawhill Road and two are from Springbells Road.
There are concerns that the development will lead to a loss of privacy and sunlight to neighbouring properties.
Residents are also worried that the development would interfere with mobile phone coverage, and they say that there was insufficient parking for the 12 flats on site previously – arguing that this bigger development will make things worse.
