Willowfields

Coseley, Midland Heart

Description of Scheme

The name, Willowfields, chosen by Dudley Council, incorporates references to the local Willows cricket club and the former fields and farmland which it was built upon.

Willowfields provides much needed independent accommodation for the over 55s in Coseley and the active extra care community was integral to the project build and the naming of the scheme.

The scheme was desligned to enable a lifestyle that is both inclusive and inline with the needs of our potential customers. Willowfields will certainly deliver much needed high quality housing to the area. The scheme is intended both to provide good independent living for today's and future generations and also to serve as a facility for the local community.

In view of rising energy costs, and in order to create a comfortable and healthy environment for residents, Frank Haslam Milan used a high performance product from market leading manufacturer of insulation, Celotex, throughout the scheme.

Where Is It?

Willowfields is located in the residential village of Coseley, about 3 miles north of Dudley.

Relevant Local Strategy

The development of Willowfields constitutes the part-realisation of one of the aims in Fit for the Future - Homeas For Life Dudley's Housing Strategy for Older People (opens new window)(2009), in which encouraging developers to construct 5 extra care housing schemes by 2015 is pledged.

"We are planning to build five new extra care housing schemes for older people by 2015. This will provide housing, care and support as an integrated service and these schemes often have other on-site facilities that the nearby community can use e.g social activities, restaurants. The first scheme will be built in the Russells Hall area in Dudley, the second in Coseley and we plan to build the remaining three schemes in Halesowen, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge but we haven't identified a specific site for these yet. In addition to this, Beacon Centre for the Blind will be providing an extra care housing scheme primarily for older people with a visual impairment. Many of these extra care schemes will offer older people the opportunity to buy (outright sale), part buy and part rent (shared ownership) or rent their homes within the scheme.

We are going to work with other council colleagues to encourage developers to build new housing schemes that use 'secured by design' principles. This means that the people living in these homes will feel safer as they are designed to maximise security features and make people feel safer within their locality."

Useful Local Statistics

Dudley Council's population projections (based on 2001 census data) predict that by 2021 there will be 3,900 more people aged 45-64 and 13,900 more people aged 65+. This includes the 80+ age group which will increase by 5,700 people.

Care Services

Extra Care scheme with on-site care staff, non-resident management staff (24 hours, 7 days) and community alarm service

Facilities

• Shop
• Activities hall
• Hair and beauty salon
• Games room
• Restaurant
• Bar and social lounge
• Launderette
• Green house
• Lifestyle centre

Address

Willowfields
Whitehouse Street
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 8HE

Scheme Location Map