Capability Scotland enters exclusivity agreement for £28m complex-needs facility
Disability charity, Capability Scotland, has moved a step closer in building a flagship £28 million complex-needs facility after signing an exclusivity agreement for land at Bertha Park Village in Perth, delivered by leading home builder, Springfield.
The agreement sets out a joint responsibility to negotiate a development plan to construct the facility which will replace the existing Upper Springland development in Perth.
It marks a key milestone in the venture – which has been named Our Inclusive Community Project (OICP). The development will look beyond simply building new housing but will develop facilities and initiatives that give residents and wider service users greater opportunities to participate and flourish as part of a growing, new community.
Springfield – which recently became the first UK housebuilder to complete the Next Generation Core Sustainability Benchmarking Initiative – has grand ambitions for the site.
Innes Smith Springfield, Chief Executive at Springfield, said: “Our vision for Bertha Park has always been to include everything a community needs to thrive. It is already home to around 500 houses, across a range of tenures, a Microsoft flagship high school, a local shop and destination playpark.
“The village has been recognised for a prestigious national sustainability award and has been named the best development in Scotland.
“Now, working with the great team at Capability Scotland, it’s our shared plan to introduce one of the most sophisticated care sites in the entire country to the Bertha Park community.
“Already we have had a number of ideas for the care facility, and we hope to secure an agreement very soon to take this project to the next step.”
It’s hoped that once a development plan has been successfully negotiated, ownership of the site will transfer to Capability Scotland upon handover of the completed site by Springfield.
The partnership aims to submit a planning application to the local council by the end of this year.
Brian Logan, Chief Executive at Capability Scotland, said: “Agreeing to sign this land exclusivity agreement is a significant milestone in making OICP at Bertha Park a reality for Capability Scotland and the people we support.
“There is much work ahead of us as we move towards a detailed planning application, but it is great to have this piece of the jigsaw in place.
“Such opportunities to develop services and facilities from a blank canvas are rare, and we look forward to the next steps, working with the people we support, their families, our colleagues and our strategic partners to bring about an exemplar facility which will deliver first-class care and support for disabled people.”
Residents from Capability Scotland’s existing facility at Upper Springland – all of whom will be relocated to the new site at Bertha Park – attended workshops alongside family members, staff and the wider community to co-produce how the facility will look, and what it will offer to its service users.
Aside from integrating disabled people into their local communities, other strong concepts identified in the workshops included: accessibility, greater deployment of assistive technologies to enhance people’s lives, more training and staff development, creating useable outdoor spaces and the importance of good natural light, air quality and temperature.
Renowned Scottish architects Anderson Bell + Christie launched their vision for Bertha Park last month, sharing the progress made to date and unveiling the masterplan for the exciting new facility.
The Upper Springland campus, on Isla Road, has three registered care homes and offers residential and respite care to 60 adults with physical disabilities and learning disabilities. There is also a day service – as well as a hydrotherapy pool, theatre and walled gardens.
Located just over four miles from Upper Springland, Bertha Park is a major expansion of Perth, with new homes, community facilities, workplaces, landscaped open ground and integrated infrastructure including footpaths and cycle routes.
The facility is set to feature innovative tech that will give people with complex needs independence, and help to support staff.
Earlier this year, architect and TV presenter George Clarke launched a creative challenge for young people in Scotland to come with ideas about how people can live sustainably and affordably at the facility.
