LISKEARD is to be one of the locations for a major new scheme of extra care housing across Cornwall.

Luxstowe House, currently the site of Cornwall Council and civil service offices, is one of five places in Cornwall where an initial 750 extra care units are to be created.

The Council announced last week that it had gone into strategic partnership with Gloucestershire-based Mears Ltd to deliver and operate the housing.

It will provide an alternative to care homes for the elderly and people with special needs, so that they can continue to live independently while having access to care services. Rob Rotchell, Cornwall Council cabinet member for adult social care, said: ‘This will allow people to remain close to their communities and will also allow much-needed family housing stock to flow back into the market.’

The listed building at Luxstowe will be protected and staff will move to other facilities in the town, some of which could be provided by new development at the Cattle Market, said Cabinet member and Liskeard Councillor Sally Hawken.

The scheme as a whole will provide 700 jobs and 200 apprenticeships in Cornwall, said the Council, both in the construction phase and in providing the care and services to the residents who move in.

Applicants to live in the extra care housing will have to be over 55 but do not have to have care needs to be eligible, and priority will be given to those who already live near one of the schemes.

The housing will be for affordable rent or shared ownership. Other benefits, says Cornwall Council, include the provision of activities, events, and services that can potentially be used by those in the wider community, such as hairdressers or assisted bathing facilities.

Cornwall Councillor for Liskeard East and cabinet member for Public Health, Sally Hawken said: ‘Extra Care is a key council priority and it’s really welcome that this sort of facility for local people is planned for our town.

‘Identifying Luxstowe as a site provides a long- term positive use for this important building. It is protected, as it’s listed, so will be preserved and in a way that will bring in huge benefits for our residents and offer local employment.

‘Whilst these plans will need to progressed at pace, there are of course all the usual stages to go through with business cases and planning.

‘Cornwall Council will work with the town to create new facilities that meet the reality of working differently in these changed circumstances post COVID, whilst keeping professional jobs in the town. The community of workers who live in Liskeard will still need to collaborate and the intention is that would be in the town itself.

‘It is anticipated the Cattle Market will have a role in providing some of these facilities and I look forward to furthering those conversations in the coming months.’

As a report went to Councillors on the Mears partnership, there were concerns from many members that the proposals to enter into such a major scheme had not gone before the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, but Cllr Rotchell said the meeting it had been due to be considered at was cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Labour councillor Jayne Kirkham said she was concerned about the council entering into a large scale deal with a single company outside Cornwall. She asked why the contract could not have been broken into smaller parts so that firms in Cornwall could bid. Cllr Rotchell said that Mears had been the only firm willing to join as partners after two other bidders dropped out.

The concerns flagged up by bidders included the risks around building what is essentially a new type of housing in Cornwall, and finding sites, and a sufficient workforce.

A report to Cabinet set out that there was statistical and anecdotal evidence of the need for this kind of housing in the county. The report says it will be ‘up to the Council to have a significantly attractive offer to encourage people to make a major lifestyle change and move home’.

Cllr Rotchell added that the contract was only for some of the extra care housing which is needed in Cornwall and said there would be further, smaller projects which firms in Cornwall could bid for. He said: ‘At this stage the amount of extra care units that we need across Cornwall is 3,500. There is a real scarcity of extra care in Cornwall. We are already having conversations with other smaller Cornish organisations to run parallel with this project.’