Work resumes at Belong Birkdale care village

Work at Belong Birkdale, the new state-of-the-art care village on Oxford Road, has resumed this month following the dementia care specialist’s appointment of Whitfield & Brown to complete the £19 million project.

Preparatory work has now commenced at the site close to Southport town centre, ahead of the building works restarting in April. The Widnes-based contractor has been selected for their experience and expertise in specialist dementia accommodation, and take over from Cruden Construction which went into administration at the height of the pandemic two years ago.

Scheduled to open in summer 2023, Belong Birkdale will provide a high-specification home for over 100 people, comprising 74 beds divided across six households with 24-hour care and nursing support, as well as 30 one-and-two-bedroom independent living apartments, which will be available to buy or rent.

The village will offer a vibrant setting for a number of amenities for customers and the local community, including a bistro, hair salon, exercise studio, function rooms, and a specialist day care service. Belong’s award-winning home care service, Belong at Home, will also operate from the site.

The development has been made possible through Belong’s partnership with Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group, and has been designed by leading architects, Pozzoni Architecture.

Chris Hughes, Belong Interim Co. Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Whitfield & Brown for the completion of Belong Birkdale. Their track record will be invaluable in bringing to life the vision for our first coastal care village.”

Gareth Hadfield, Deputy Managing Director at Whitfield & Brown, said: “As the principal contractor, we’re looking forward to working with Belong. We know that the Birkdale village is highly anticipated in the community, so we’re excited to get on-site and progress work rapidly to finish what will be a magnificent care environment.”

Jon Murphy, Operations Manager at Whitfield & Brown, added: “As a resident of Southport myself, I’m proud to be heading-up such a prestigious project which will be of great benefit for local people for years to come.”

Stavros Criticos, Investment Manager at Octopus Real Estate, concluded: “We’re thrilled to be back onsite at Belong Birkdale. It is a much-anticipated project that brings together the shared expertise and values within Octopus Real Estate and Belong, delivering a high-quality care village for the local community.”

Belong Birkdale will be the group’s ninth location, following the opening of Belong Chester, this spring. Both join the not-for-profit organisation’s established care villages across the North West in Atherton, Crewe, Didsbury, Macclesfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Warrington and Wigan.

click here for more details or to contact Belong at Home