Picture caption: (Front l-r) Former Bond Girl Honor Blackman
cuts the ribbon to mark the official opening of Broad Meadow with
resident Doreen Parkes observed by (back l-r) Assad Hamed,
investment and regeneration manager, HCA; Tom Murtha, chief
executive officer, Midland Heart; Mayor's consort Cllr. Sue
Greenaway; Mayor of Dudley, Cllr. Michael Evans and Richard Cornes,
partnerships director, William Davis
A flagship £20m Extra Care development in the heart of
Dudley has been officially opened (21st July 2011) by former Bond
Girl and well-loved actress, Honor Blackman.
Broad Meadow has been constructed by Loughborough-based
contractor and developer, William Davis Ltd on behalf of the
region's largest housing and regeneration organisation, Midland
Heart in partnership with Dudley Council and the Homes and
Communities Agency (HCA), who invested £6.4m into the scheme.
Comprising 132 one and two bedroom apartments for the over 55s,
Broad Meadow's official opening was attended by over 100 guests,
including Honor Blackman and the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor
Michael Evans.
Cutting the ribbon to officially mark the opening, Honor
Blackman said: "I am testament to the value of living a full life,
an ethos echoed by the positive attributes of this scheme and I am
pleased to show my support here today. It is a fantastic housing
and support scheme."
Designed to achieve a BREEAM 'Very Good' rating, the
contemporary scheme includes solar collectors to heat water, sun
pipes to maximise natural daylight, a bio-diversity roof planted
with Sedum and a glazed 'winter garden'. During construction,
William Davis and Midland Heart provided employment opportunities
for local tradespeople to help them gain valuable work experience
and re-enter the workplace.
Richard Cornes, partnerships director, William Davis said:
"Today's celebrations represent the culmination of what has been a
prestigious scheme for William Davis. Together with Midland Heart,
we have created high quality, Extra Care accommodation which we
hope will act as a benchmark for future developments in the region.
Everyone at William Davis takes great pride in what has been
achieved here."
Midland Heart's chief executive officer, Tom Murtha added:
"Broad Meadow is our flagship development in Dudley. We are
delighted to be officially opening the scheme and that
representatives from the founders group and the local community are
here to join in the celebrations. They have played an integral role
in the development since work began and have been instrumental in
the overall look and feel of Broad Meadow."
Residents will also benefit from the scheme's state-of-the-art
facilities including a gym, shop, activities hall, hair and beauty
salon, games room, restaurant, bar and social lounge and wellbeing
centre.
Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Michael Evans said: "Broad Meadow
represents the future of housing and care for older people. This
exceptional development offers the highest standards of care and
service for residents of the scheme and will be of huge benefit to
the residents of Dudley."
Christine Seaton, area manager for the HCA Midlands concluded:
"It is an exciting time in Dudley with lots of investment into
Extra Care housing to meet the needs of local communities. We
are really pleased that our support has enabled Midland Heart and
Dudley Council to deliver Broad Meadow and it's great to celebrate
our collective work at today's opening."
* William Davis contract value £16m