Building contractor Willmott Dixon is close to completing a £12.5 million care home in north west Leicestershire.
The company is working on the Springfields Independent Living facility in Ashby de la Zouch, which will feature 65 one and two-bedroom apartments alongside communal areas such as a beauty salon, hairdressers and bistro.
Work is being done on behalf of East Midlands-based EMH Care and Support, and the scheme has been designed by BRP architects, in Market Harborough.
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It is set for completion this summer with 50 of the apartments available for rent and 15 for sale on a shared ownership basis.
Due to the current national lockdown restrictions the scheme’s showhomes are currently closed and face-to-face viewings are not able to go ahead as normal.
Instead, Willmott Dixon is using its 360 Matterport camera to enable EMH Care and Support to offer virtual viewings.
Michelle Cotterill, director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said: “Throughout the project, we have been working closely with EMH Care and Support to ensure we are creating a scheme that will make the local community proud.
“We are delighted that, as we near project completion, we have been able to continue supporting the customer with our innovative Matterport scanning cameras.
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“Technology has played a major role throughout the whole development process, from the use of BIM in the design of the scheme, to the implementation of offsite manufacturing in the build process.
“Like the rest of the nation, the construction industry has been forced to find new ways of working throughout the pandemic. Therefore, I am particularly proud of our team’s ability to keep 100 per cent of our sites operational throughout the numerous lockdowns – this has enabled us to continue our work providing much-needed high-quality housing for the community in Ashby, while also ensuring that residents can move into the development as soon as possible.”
Situated in the National Forest market town, the apartments are all self-contained and designed to allow wheelchairs and mobility aids.
The development features a video door entry system, with each apartment also having access to its own secure entrance and fibre optic broadband.
Once operational, the independent living facility will also have a dedicated team of staff available 24 hours a day, to support residents with flexible packages of care to suit individual needs.
Jo Grainger, executive director at EMH Care and Support said: “The way that we would usually connect with people to tell them about our new homes has had to change completely due to the local and national restrictions of the pandemic.
“The use of technology available to us, and the flexibility and support from Wilmott Dixon throughout the project has meant that we have still been able to generate a lot of interest and applications for this amazing new facility.
“We are now looking forward to an amazing opening and to welcoming people to their new homes.”