Sarsen Housing Association, a member of the Aster Group, has been chosen to work with Caradon District Council to develop an extra care village on the former Passmore Edwards Hospital site in Liskeard.

Extra care housing enables older people to carry on living as independently as possible with the security of having their care and support needs looked after by trained and qualified staff. Caradon and Sarsen aim to have the 55 unit extra care village in Liskeard up and running by 2010.

Caradon received six high quality competitive bids to develop the site from well-established extra care providers. All bids were scored by a selection panel, and Sarsen was selected as Caradon's preferred partner.

Councillor John Turner, Caradon's Housing and Community Services portfolio holder, said: "This is a very significant step along the way to achieving our vision of an extra care village for South East Cornwall.

"I am pleased that Sarsen has been appointed from such a strong field and that we can now progress to the next stage. This is a complex project, and there is still a long way to go, but we are firmly on the right track.

"Now that the preferred partner has been appointed, we can work together with them to secure the central government funding needed for the project. This is a major hurdle, but everything looks promising at the moment. There is a sharply rising need for the type of development we are seeking, and we are looking to provide an exemplary scheme of which Liskeard, Caradon and all of Cornwall can be justifiably proud."

Jill Gregg, Aster's Devon and Cornwall Director said: "Naturally we are delighted to have been selected, once again, to work in partnership with Caradon District Council.
With an ageing population and people wishing to remain in their own homes for longer there has never been a greater demand for extra care accommodation. We'll be using our experience in the field to make this visionary flagship scheme a very positive reality."

Sarsen Housing Association and Aster Group, have a wealth of experience in developing extra care facilities. The most recent extra care project was St Barnabas in Plymouth, which opened in March 2005, and work is currently underway on a second extra care scheme in Plymouth. Sarsen are also in the process of building 19 affordable homes for Caradon at St Ann's Chapel.

Although the number of 65 to 84 year olds in Caradon is expected to rise by 77% over the next 25 years, there is currently no extra care provision in the district or Cornwall as a whole.

The development of the extra care village in South East Cornwall is expected to be a long term project, as it will involve a complex funding package from two different central government departments. Funding for the site development will be sought from the Housing Corporation and the Department for Health. Through Supporting People, Cornwall County Council will also have a key role in funding housing related support services. Caradon is already working closely with the Primary Care Trust, the Department of Adult Social Care and other partners on the project.