AN ambitious multi-million pound scheme to breathe new life into a former Ilkley hospital has been revealed.

The Abbeyfield Ilkley Society is planning to pump £7.2 million into the Grove Hospital site, transforming it into a model scheme for housing the elderly.

After months of speculation, the charity told the Gazette it was delighted to finally unveil its plans after a lot of work behind the scenes.

The former convalescent hospital closed in 1993 and there has been a great deal of concern about the town centre site ever since.

Abbeyfield's integrated care scheme for elderly people will be the largest of three pilot schemes around Britain.

The charity believes this form of care, both medical and social, will give elderly people a renewed lease of life, promote independence and help them maintain an active life as part of the community.

The development will consist of up to 59 one and two-bedroomed apartments and provide 24-hour personal care, respite care facilities and a day activity centre.

The grounds will be landscaped to form an open space on the land adjacent to The Grove, and will be accessible to the public. Sixty four new trees will be planted.

The shell of the existing hospital building will remain in tact but new accommodation will be provided with 13 one and two-bedroom flats in Riddings Road and 31 one and two-bedroom apartments in a building behind the existing structure.

The former hospital itself will house 26 en suite rooms for registered residential care. There will also be two guest/respite rooms. The day centre will also be located in the hospital building.

Shannon Houliston, vice chairman of The Abbeyfield Ilkley Society, said everyone connected with the scheme was very excited by its potential.

He said it was a positive move which would help address the problem of housing ever-increasing numbers of elderly people.

"I believe 29 per cent of people in Ilkley are over the age of 65. The national average is about 18 per cent. We have an ageing population, indeed the Royal Commission of 1991 said the number of 85 year-olds would double in the next 20 years, the number of 90 year-olds would treble," he said.

Mr Houliston and his colleagues believe too many elderly people are cut off from the community in which they live. They believe this scheme will not condemn elderly people to just venturing out once a week for their pension.

The plan is to create a community within a community - with 'streets' within the buildings, not bland long corridors with numbered doors.

Those occupying apartments would be tenants, receiving care packages tailored to individual requirements.

About half the money needed has already been raised. The scheme will be funded by a combination of grant aid, private finance and charitable donations. If planning permission is granted, the charity plans to launch a fundraising appeal locally next year.

Abbeyfield see this scheme as a project which will benefit the Ilkley community as a whole.

Numerous town organisations will make use of the facilities, with several planning to establish a new 'base' on site.

Mr Houliston said: "The committee is already working with groups with regard to the land adjacent to the Grove. We have already sought support from Ilkley gardener Alan Titchmarsh for example. Groups such as Rotary and the Civic Society will also be involved."

The charity feels the project will act as a pull for the town centre - a spot where people can meet up in delightful surroundings.

"This will not be an elitist scheme," said Mr Houliston. Potential residents would be assessed by need, regardless of sex, religion, colour or social class.

If planning permission is granted, work on the site could begin by mid 2000 and be completed in about 18 months.

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