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Bowden Court: Fingal County Council Social Housing, 11 Universal Designed, Age Friendly new homes.

Age Friendly Ireland

FCC CompactMark 1col 01 Official

Programme: Fingal

WHO Theme: Housing

Cost: 10000+

Status: In Progress

Description

Bowden Court is a Fingal County Council housing development located on Rathbeale Road, about 1.2 km northwest of Main Street Swords. Formerly an Operations Depot, the site now features 11 spacious apartments designed to universal guidelines: 3 three-bedroom, 4 two-bedroom, and 4 one-bedroom units are located across three floors. This variety of accommodation supports intergenerational engagement with families living on site, particularly providing support for older tenants.

The development is ideally situated for elderly tenants or those with mobility issues, within walking distance of amenities and services such as the Swords Cultural Quarter, shops, the local church, a health centre, a senior social centre, and benefits from good transport connections. A landscaped communal garden in the northwest provides a pleasant outdoor space, facilitating engagement within a safe environment where residents can interact with their neighbours. This offers residents the chance to establish important social connections.

The initiative aims to provide new social housing, addressing existing social housing needs and offering universal, age-friendly homes. The 11 social homes are under construction, scheduled for completion in September. Fingal County Council Architects Division is managing the project with a consultant design team led by Paul Keogh Architects.

The project’s goals are to address social housing demand, offer various apartment sizes, ensure universal and age-friendly adaptability, support ageing in place, and future-proof housing design to meet older citizens’ needs. Key project goals developed during the design process include:

Developing the social housing scheme design, considering site constraints, the development plan, latest DHLGH standards, and obtaining funding approval.

Securing Part XI approval (planning permission) for the overall social housing scheme.

During construction, allocating units to tenants with bespoke needs, making adaptations based on Occupational Therapist (OT) reports and tenant consultations.

Many homes will be allocated to older/downsizing tenants or adapted for tenants with medical priority needs. Designing adaptable homes ensures suitability for older citizens and those with medical needs, fostering diverse and inclusive environments. This is achieved through CEUD’s Universal Design guidance and Fingal’s 10 Ways to Construct a More Lifetime Adaptable and Age-Friendly Home, considering principles such as:

Integrated into their local neighbourhood & access to local amenities

Easy to approach, access and move around internally

Easy to understand, use and manage

They are flexible and adaptable over time

Accessible and adaptable toilets and bathrooms

Guest bedroom

Easy to use fittings & fixtures

Connected to the outdoors

Secure by design and technology systems

Energy and cost effective

By adhering to these principles, the new community will become a diverse and inclusive place with lifelong homes for people of all ages. The residents are expected to integrate well into the local neighbourhood, benefiting from established amenities and direct transport links to Swords village.

Fingal County Council is committed to delivering Universal and Age-Friendly developments, as outlined in the current Fingal Development Plan (2023-2029). The plan includes several policies and objectives related to Universal and Age-Friendly development, such as Objective SPQHO22 – Accessible Housing, which aims for 30% of social housing to be fully accessible and built with a universal design approach, ensuring flexibility throughout the occupant’s lifetime.

Fingal’s Age-Friendly program encompasses key elements, including:

The Older People’s Council, representing the voice of older residents.

The Age-Friendly Alliance, a multi-agency forum involving stakeholders from healthcare, law enforcement, transport, education, and local government.

The Fingal Inter-departmental team, comprising representatives from different organizational departments.

Rooted in collaboration, Fingal’s Age-Friendly initiative aims to enhance older residents’ quality of life by addressing environmental, economic, and social factors. The program ensures walkable streets, suitable housing, transportation options, access to services, and community engagement opportunities, fostering diverse and inclusive communities and providing lifelong homes for people of all ages.

As the project nears completion in early September 2024, Fingal County Council is currently working closely with the DHLGH to accommodate the specific needs of future tenants, consulting with occupational therapists regarding medical requirements. Two apartments have been allocated to tenants with medical priority needs to date.

Bowden Court demonstrates that Fingal County Council is committed to achieving the goals outlined in the Housing Strategy for Disabled People (2021–2026), supporting community-based living for disabled people and providing a wide range of housing options to maximize tenants’ independence.

Aim of Initiative

On site. Due for completion Q3 2024.

Who is it aimed at

Many of these homes will be allocated to older/downsizing tenants or specifically adapted for tenants with special needs on the social housing waiting list.

The development includes a mix of apartment sizes, accommodating different family sizes and facilitating downsizing at a later stage and enabling ‘ageing in place.’

3 Steps critical to success

  1. Developing the social housing scheme design from the initial housing brief, taking into consideration site constraints, the Fingal development plan, latest DHLGH standards and guidelines, and obtaining DHLGH funding approval for the project.
  2. Developing the design and obtaining Part XI approval (planning permission) for the overall social housing scheme.
  3. During construction stage on site, tenants with bespoke / specific needs are allocated a unit within the development. Adaptations and adjustments will need to be made based on the specific needs of the tenant using Occupational Therapist (OT) reports and in consultation with the tenant. Currently we are liaising with Occupational therapists regarding the specific needs for two tenants, which have been allocated apartment 4 and 8.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

  1. Social housing projects take a minimum of 2.5 years from initial inception to completion this is challenging when trying to envision the potential / specific needs of future tenants.
  2. DHLGH capital funded projects require Occupational Therapist (OT) reports at the start of projects for approval of additional areas and specification which exceed the DHLGH’s guideline sizes and Employer’s Requirements specification. This is challenging given the overall timeframe for delivery of construction projects and in providing bespoke designs solutions for tenants with specific needs.
  3. In general, a tenant’s specific needs are only confirmed during construction. This is challenging if there are any alterations which may require revised planning permission, or if additional funding is required as there is currently no mechanism to apply for additional funding at construction stage. To address these issues adaptable social housing units must be generic Universal Design (UD) to allow for easy adaptation for the greatest range of possible needs.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

  1. 11 No. new social housing apartment units (All of which are adaptable for universal and age friendly design with ground floor bedrooms & accessible showers). All 4 of the ground floor units can be easily adapted for allocation to elderly tenants or to tenants with medical priority needs.
  2. The transformation of the site from an under used operations depot site into an attractive new housing development benefiting from the use of established local amenities and good transport links into Swords Village.
  3. By integrating universal and age-friendly design standards, these residences are tailored to better suit the requirements of older citizens and those with medical priority needs. This approach not only enhances the quality of life for residents but also fosters a more diverse and inclusive environment.

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