‘MODEL’ DEREHAM SHELTERED HOUSING SCHEME CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY
The 40th anniversary of a Dereham sheltered housing scheme which has been described a ‘a model for living’ has been marked with a party and a cake cutting.
Residents at York Place in the town came together for a party with pizza and cake to mark four decades at the scheme, which is situated right in the town centre off Becclesgate.
The longest-standing resident, Ann Chamberlain, who has lived at York Place since 1988, cut a special birthday cake with Michael Newey, chief executive of Broadland Housing Association, which built the scheme in the early 1980s.
Addressing the assembled residents, along with members of the housing association, Mr Newey said, “Back in 1982, York Place was ahead of its time. Building a scheme so close to the town centre, just off the High Street, was quite unusual.
“But there is a model here for living, not just in terms of sheltered housing. As towns have to reinvent themselves, bringing people back living in town centres seems such a sensible idea. There is a model here that other communities in Norfolk and further afield could really learn from.”
94 year-old Ann Chamberlain, who moved into York Place in 1988, said that York Place was a great place to live. “It has a proper sense of community, we are one big happy family. It’s nice and near the town centre - I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Offering independent living for the over-55s, York Place has 53 one-bedroom flats and bungalows. In 2018, six new flats and two shared ownership bungalows were built with a new landscaped communal garden added. The scheme has a lively social programme, with an active social club, coffee mornings, bingo and games evenings, and regular activities and outings.
York Place is one of six sheltered housing schemes run by Broadland Housing across Norfolk and north Suffolk.