Belong Chester, the new care village set to open on City Road, has reached the topping out stage – meaning the main building works are another step closer to its scheduled opening in early 2022
Belong held a topping out ceremony to celebrate the milestone. Guest of honour, Robert Mee DL, the High Sheriff of Cheshire, braved the heights of the £21m development to lay the final roof tile alongside former Belong chair, Margaret Yorke; Belong’s deputy chief executive, Tracy Paine, and Chris Ellison, the project manager for the site from contractor, Seddon.
Located in the heart of the city, adjacent to its historic canal, Belong Chester has been designed by architects, Pozzoni, with contractor Seddon heading up the build.
The village will provide world-leading dementia and nursing care, with 24-hour support available across six extended family-sized households and 23 independent living apartments, the latter now available to purchase or rent.
The new Chester village will join Belong’s seven care villages across the North West and Midlands, together with another site in Birkdale, also set to open in 2022 and a new village planned at Wirral Waters in Birkenhead.
Robert Mee DL has an extensive relationship with the city; in addition to his statutory duties, he is involved with other local charities, including Cheshire Young Carers and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and has played a significant role in regeneration with Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Board.
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Belong’s Tracy Paine said: “We are thrilled to have finished the main building work at Belong Chester.
“We know the village’s opening is eagerly anticipated and we look forward to welcoming the community early next year and to being able to support local older people, including those living with dementia and their families.”
John Shannon, divisional director at Seddon, added: “It’s great to see the scheme progressing and we were delighted to have some of the Belong team join us on site to mark this milestone.
“The next stage will see the village come to life even further and transform into the highly-anticipated vibrant space the people of Chester have been waiting for.
“The creation of a Belong village in the heart of the city promises to expand the provision of high quality services for older people in the area, and it was wonderful to have this opportunity to see the rapid progress being made towards completion.”
