Location: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Architect: PRP
Client: Sapphire Consortium (The Eric Wright Group, Your Housing Group and Kajima Partnerships)
Units: 75 apartments
Contractor: Eric Wright Construction
Willow Barns in Stoke-on-Trent provides 75 apartments for affordable rent designed for older residents. Designed as part of the local authority’s wider vision for delivering housing for older people in Stoke, the homes provide an important stock of affordable, specialised housing. The development is a thoughtful and creative response to a sensitive site within budgetary constraints, which has created a community of elderly residents. Taking design inspiration from a group of existing early 19th century agricultural buildings, the development provides a distinct sense of place and the homes are not just age-friendly, but aspirational for those looking to move in later life. Willow Barns was awarded receive a HAPPI Housing Design Awards in 2017.
Stoke-on-Trent is set to see its old age dependency increase by a third over the next two decades. Other large towns across the country in similar positions should look to examples like this as to how they can provide specialised affordable housing that can keep older people healthy for longer.
Willow Barns featured in A Home for the Ages: Planning for the Future with Age-Friendly Design. Read the full report here
