Saunders were appointed to develop the detailed application and
brief development, with Ashford Borough Council’s Housing Officers, for a flexible residential care unit. The project brief required a dementia-friendly design within an independent living setting while avoiding a clinical feel for residents.

The scheme was developed in response to guidance by Ashford’s Housing Officers and adheres to Lifetime Homes Standards and the HAPPI2 (Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation) principles for care design. The use of wider corridors, break-out area and a central open-plan communal space encourages interaction while maintaining privacy. The mix of 40 one bedroom and two bedroom apartments are supported by a secure resident garden with defensible exterior space to the ground floor units. All of the properties benefit from communal lounge and activity spaces incorporated within the building and the capacity to offer managed facilities to the wider community.