Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) has announced plans to redevelop a former retirement home in Ivybridge working in partnership with Ivybridge Town Council and South Hams District Council to create more affordable homes for the town.
PCH is currently consulting with local residents during a pre-planning stage about its plans to redevelop the former retirement home Butterpark in Ivybridge and replace it with 27 affordable homes, which would be prioritised to those with a local connection to the area to meet the specific needs of the community.
The proposals involve building a block of eight flats designated for residents with learning disabilities, and creating 12 one-bedroom flats which could be made available for social rent, whilst up to seven two/three-bedroom homes are built and sold for shared ownership through PCH’s sales brand, SO Living.
Ivybridge Town Council purchased Butterpark Retirement Home in 2017 with the aim of developing the building to provide a mix of affordable housing and homes to enable residents with learning disabilities to live independently.
As Plymouth’s largest social landlord, managing 16,000 homes for 35,000 people in and around Plymouth, as well as developing new homes for social rent and shared ownership purchase, PCH hopes to support the local town council with its aim of meeting the needs of the community.
The former retirement home is located close to Ivybridge Town Centre so is well connected for local amenities and transport links.
A full consultation is being carried out to give local residents the chance to feedback on the proposals. PCH is asking people for feedback and views on the suitability of the scale of the proposed housing development for this site, as well as the mix and type of the homes being proposed and their design.
The proposed plans for this site can be accessed here, and the public consultation survey will close at 11pm on Monday 5 August.
If support is required to complete this survey, please contact the PCH Communities Team at PCH on 0808 230 6500 or email communitiesteam@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.
Feedback will be shared anonymously in a report with the PCH Development Team and relevant stakeholders before any planning application is submitted for the site.
A local-drop-in session will also be taking place on Thursday 25 July between 3pm – 6pm at The Beeson Suite, The Watermark, Ivybridge, PL21 0SZ to give residents the opportunity to speak with the team about the proposals for this site.
Gavin Sutton, Senior Project Manager at Plymouth Community Homes, said: “We are pleased to be working with Ivybridge Town Council and South Hams District Council on plans to redevelop Butterpark Retirement Home in Ivybridge and create much-needed new affordable housing for local people.
“The public consultation for local residents to share feedback on the plans is still open, and we will be hosting a drop-in session on Thursday 25 July, so we look forward to hearing the views of local residents on our proposals.”
Kate Elliott-Turner, Town Clerk at Ivybridge Town Council, said: “Ivybridge Town Council is delighted to be working with Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) to transform the site of the former Butterpark care home in the town, providing much needed housing for Ivybridge.
“The Town Council’s desire was to see part of the site used to provide good quality affordable housing for those with learning disabilities, as well as meeting general housing needs. We are pleased that the PCH proposal will not only include 8 flats specifically designed for learning disabilities, but also includes 19 general affordable homes, a mixture of flats and houses.”
Councillor Denise O’Callaghan, Lead Member for Housing at South Hams District Council, said: “Creating homes local people need is one of our top priorities. The Butterpark development will help provide lower cost, safe and quality homes for our residents, including some of our more vulnerable residents.
“We encourage the local community to have their say on this important development.”
