Virtual tours are to be offered at the state-of-the-art Springfields Independent Living facility in Ashby de la Zouch throughout the coming months, as the project delivered by national contractor Willmott Dixon nears completion.

Due to complete in summer 2021, the £12.5m project is being created on behalf of emh care & support and will feature 65 one and two-bedroom apartments alongside communal areas such as a beauty salon, hairdressers and bistro. Designed by BRP architects, the homes have been created to provide residents with an inclusive living environment. The apartments will be offered both on preference and individual care and support needs, with 50 available for rent and 15 for sale on a shared ownership basis.

Due to the current national lockdown restrictions the scheme’s show homes are currently closed and face-to-face viewings are not able to go ahead as normal. To ensure tours can still take place Willmott Dixon is using its industry-leading 360 Matterport camera to enable emh care & support to welcome potential tenants and homeowners virtually to the new development.

Michelle Cotterill, director (delivery) at Willmott Dixon, said:

“Throughout the project, we have been working closely with emh care & 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. 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.”

Situated at the heart of the National Forest, the development has taken inspiration from surrounding nature and history, producing apartments dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of its residents. All the apartments are completely self-contained and designed to allow wheelchairs and mobility aids to be used. The homes have been finished to the highest specification, ensuring residents can live in comfort in a spacious modern home.

The development also 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 & 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.”

Michelle added:

“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% 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.”

To find out more information about the Springfields Independent Living facility, view the floor plan of the development, contact the team for further information or express your interest in the scheme, please visit: www.emhcareandsupport.org.uk/living-with-us/springfields.