A TOPPING out ceremony has been held to mark completion of the latest stage of a housing scheme for older people.

The event at The Elms in Chester-le-Street marked completion of the roof of the £6.5m development, an assisted living scheme for the over 55s due to open in August.

Among the guests was Jean Laws, who for 24 years was warden of the Lawson Court sheltered housing scheme which stood on the same site.

Mrs Laws said: “I was sad to see Lawson Court demolished after working and living there for so long but it’s been wonderful watching The Elms being built.

“You can see it’s going to be a fantastic place to live – I have even put my name down to be considered as one of the new tenants.”

The Elms will consist of 52 one and two-bedroomed apartments and six two-bedroom bungalows, available for affordable rent, shared ownership and sale.

The development will be managed by Cestria Community Housing, with the homes available to people aged 55 and over who are in need of care and support services.

The apartments and bungalows are designed to allow people to remain in their own homes for longer and feature lift access to all floors, a motorised wheelchair and scooter store and an assisted bathroom.

Residents will also be able to make use of a range of communal facilities, including a beauty/treatment room, IT suite, internet café, laundry, community allotment and office/ exhibition space.

Cestria managing director Martin Warhurst said: “This is a significant milestone for The Elms and a great opportunity to celebrate how far the development has come and look forward to it being completed.

“The design concept behind this scheme will not only change the general perception of older people’s housing, but also the lifestyle and wellbeing of this demographic in the future.

“Locally there is a severe shortage of high-quality housing for the over 55s, and The Elms will go some way to meeting that strategic housing need.”

The development has received £1.85m funding from the Department of Health.