Independent Living Project

Friday Fun

2012-01-20T16:10:00.002Z

Our Radio Poplar hosted radio programme went live today. A week later than planned, but the show was excellent. William joint hosted the show with Bill Rowe of Radio Poplar and they presented an eclectic mix of up beat music and dedications for staff and families.

The show is on internet radio and you will need something like Real Player, WinAmp or VLC to listen. If you are on Leeds City Council's network you can get Real Player from the IT helpdesk, if you are on any other network you can download a player from the Radio Poplar website http://www.radiopoplar.co.uk/ you can email the show whilst they are on-air with requests to show@radiopoplar.co.uk.

If you want to request music or a dedication either myself or Peter Loosemore, of Progress Care will be delighted to hear from you.

On Air

2011-12-12T17:23:00.003Z

We are hopeful that from the 13th January there will be weekly ILP Radio programme broadcast via the internet, courtesy of Radio Poplar and funding from Greggs. There was a piece in the Evening Post last week which made mention of the forthcoming attraction and gave a little background on the founding of the radio station. Click HERE for a link to the newspaper article. We will be looking for people who want to get involved - presenting the show, requesting music to be played, being interviewed on-air, playing live either in the studio or being recorded as an outside broadcast. If you are interested in any of this contact Peter Loosemore from Progress Care or Caroline Terry from Leeds City Council Adult Social Care. If you need contact details please contact me.

Christmas is coming

2011-12-09T10:10:00.001Z

The weather took a turn for the worse this week, although it has been cold it has been nothing like last year. This time last year we were faced with terrible delays because of the snow and freezing temperatures. At one time it looked as though the final phases of construction would all have to be delivered late. Jack Lunn did an amazing job getting everything virtually finished in programme. The cold snap and high winds have posed a few problems with things like heating boilers, but nothing of any significance. The Lovell Respond handyman team are doing a great job in getting round to any problems really promptly.

You should be able to see a pen picture for the handymen and for the Progress team on the web site in the very near future. The arrangements for repairs and housing matters will be arriving soon so that you will know what to do if you have any problems during the holiday period.

In full swing

2011-10-05T13:34:00.003+01:00

All the buildings have now been completed and are occupied to a lesser or greater extent. The THUs at Bewerley and Cottingley were the final pieces in the jigsaw for the ILP. LiLAC will now be looking after the properties for the next 25 years. If you are interested in the various locations for the properties, have a look at the Google Map. All of the location icons may not show correctly in Explorer as there are some issues, bu the list of properties is correct.

Some of the properties have had to have maintenance work carried out already. This has been due to the theft of lead from roofs, the lead is being replaced with a substitute with no scrap value.

The site that hosted our photo archive has unfortunately ceased to exist. I am in the process of transferring all the pictures to Microsoft's SkyDrive but this will take some time to complete. The pages for each site will appear piecemeal on the ILP website over the next couple of months as I complete each one. If you have a particular interest in any site, let me know and I will prioritise the conversion and upload of those photographs.

The finishing line is in sight

2011-06-14T11:04:00.000+01:00

In May the latest site was handed over and people started moving into Bewerley Court. Although the site is relatively small the buildings are impressive with tenanted flats, transitional housing and respite accommodation all available.

The very final phase of building will be completed this month when Cottingley Court is handed over on the 20th June.

LiLAC will then have completed 15 phases over a 3 year period with all the buildings being ready within days of the planned dates.

Phases 10 & 11

2011-03-07T08:16:00.000Z

Delph View - Moving in

The latest two phases of construction were handed over to Adult Social Care on the 14th February. Delph View and Westerton Road were completed on time despite the poor weather before Christmas. The last of the people that decamped the old Delph Manor were able to move into their new homes within days of the property becoming available. Westerton Road will take a little longer before it is fully occupied, this property will allow people that have had to live away from Leeds to move back into the area with a brand new service being provided by Dimensions, a third party supplier.

Phase 9 complete

2011-01-14T15:40:00.000Z

Potternewton

Despite the poor weather just before Christmas phase 9 was handed over into service on the 10th January as scheduled. Real Life Options will be providing the care and support at Potternewton, this is the 4th external contract that has been let for care and support in ILP properties. The first tenats will be moving back to Leeds to take up their tenancies next week, which is great news for tenants, carers and families.

At the second phase of development of the old Rossedene Hostel, tenants moved back to site from Parklees, much to everyone's pleasure. The new buildings are a great improvement on what people, customers and staff, have had to put up with until now.

The poor weather means that the working hours at Cottingley Court have been extended by an hour each day and bricklayers are likely to be working week-ends too until some of the programme time is made up.

Start of a new year

2011-01-04T14:04:00.000Z

Despite the awful weather the Christmas and New Year periods passed of peacefully. Arrangements are now in full swing for the handoverof the next phase of properties, at Potternewton and Rossedene. The buildings have been ready for some time and the first people should start to move into their new homes next week.

This year will mark a massive milestone, when building work finishes in June. From then on the contract runs for the next 25 years with the properties being looked after by Progress Care Housing Association and Lovell Respond. In anticipation of the additional work, Lovell Respond's new handyman started work just before Christmas, bringing the current compliment to four. Work is being divided up geographically so you should see the same faces whenever you need work doing or a fault fixing.

Weather update

2010-12-05T09:20:00.000Z

Despite the weather, progress on the next two phases of the ILP are well on track. Potternewton Mount will handed over early in January, the building is virtually complete now and the builder is snagging the property, in advance of handover.

The service will be provided by Real Life Options, who are working with the Adult Social Care planning team to introduce themselves to the tenants and prepare staff and tenants for moving in soon after Christmas.

Dimensions are similarly working towards the opening of Westerton Road in early February. The buildings are already in an advanced state and some of the landscaping has been completed.

Holmesley Green Official Opening Today

2010-09-08T13:36:00.004+01:00

After a very long time in the planning, Holmesley Green was officially opened today. A joint project between Accent Foundation and Adult Social Care, providing care & supported living for up to 23 people in purpose built flats close to the old Windlesford Green Hostel. The new building has been in use since March 2010. Representatives of Accent Foundation, Adult Social Care and Leeds City Council welcomed people to the official opening, to which tenants and a few people direct involved in the project were invited.

The weather stayed fine and the building and the grounds looked very handsome. Accent provided everyone with refreshments and the oppportunity to look around.

Latest News

2010-09-02T07:46:00.002+01:00

Phase 8 of the project completed successfully on the 2nd of August and people have now moved into their new homes. I was lucky enough to get invited to the Fun Day at Templars Croft shortly after people moved in. The weather was great and the atmosphere was definitely 'fun' with a coconut shy, hook a duck, tombola, 'soak the staff', face painting and a bake a cake competition. Food and drink was bountiful. Les France took his life in his hands and judged the cake competition, all the entries look delicious.

The final hostel was handed over to the builders for demolition on the 31st August, starting the last phase of work on the ILP construction programme.

On the same day, The Lord and Lady Mayoress open the gardens at Rainbow House, the Children's Services short break property. Again food was provided and Jan, the cook, did the Lord Mayor proud. Once again the weather behaved for the Mayoral party, children, staff and guests from Leeds City Council and the LiLAC consortium.

Busy Times

2010-05-14T10:45:00.002+01:00

Since the last time that I entered information, much has happened. Phases 5a, 6 and 7 have all completed on time and people have moved into their new homes on all of the sites. Phases 8, 9 and 10 are all well on with construction and we handed over the keys for phase 11 at the beginning of this week. Phase 6 saw the first Mental Health buildings to be completed for some time and life has been hectic for the team getting Spen Lane and the tenants ready on time.

Phase 11 is the final site for the Learning Disabilities team. The old Lee Grange hostel will be demolished and replaced by a couple of bungalows for another of the new services to be brought Leeds early in 2011.

Phase 5 handed over

2010-03-01T09:20:00.002Z

LiLAC handed over the first phase of the Rossedene development, Joseph Street and Waterloo Grove recently. In general, despite the complexities, things have gone smoothly. Everyone got moved in successfully and everyone seems to be delighted with their new homes.

We have a busy time ahead with properties being handed over in March, April and May. Hall Lane tenants will be supported by Creative Support. This will be the third service that is operated by external suppliers with two more to come early next year.

Rainbow House opened officially

2010-02-08T08:28:00.005Z

Rainbow House was officially opened on the 3rd February by the parents of Jessica, a previous customer of the service at Broom Court. There were representatives from the project team, LiLAC, Childrens' Services and Leeds City Council.

Everyone was very impressed with the building and the preparations for the first young people to move in on the 8th February.

Rainbow House ready for Childrens' Services

2010-01-28T08:06:00.004Z

Despite the appalling weather the Childrens' Services Rainbow House building has been handed over on time. Some of the landscaping and planting has not been able to be completed but the builder has given us a timetable for the work as the planting season approaches. Although the planting is not complete the outdoor play area looks really exciting, with it's bright colours and impressive equipment. Staff have been delighted to be able to get into the building and start to make use of the wonderful space and facilities. The building will officially be opened on the 3rd February.

Weather having an impact

2010-01-08T10:14:00.002Z

The current weather is having an impact on construction progress. Although many of the sites are well underway and the insides are weatherproof, the current snow and freezing temperatures mean that it is impossible to work on the external areas which means that neither the hard landscaping - paths, patios, planters or soft landscaping - levelling, planting and grass is able to be worked on. It is unlikely that this will have any serious effect on the hand over dates for any of the properties, but only time will tell.

Phase 4 nearly full now

2009-10-14T10:30:00.005+01:00

Almost all the phase 4 properties are now occupied. The builders are racing on with the next buildings in phases 5, 5a, 6 and 7, as well as Rainbow House, the Childrens' Services property next to Victoria Park Grove. Jack Lunn are working hard to keep exisiting trees on site (see Roos Court, to the right).

Phase 4 Handover

2009-09-23T11:04:00.003+01:00

The phase 4 properties were handed over to Progress Housing and Adult Social Care as planned on Monday, by Tuesday people were moving into the Wetherby addresses.

Everyone should be moved from the current hostels by the end of next week.

Poor David

2009-09-16T09:52:00.003+01:00

he's now got me helping (?) or at least trying to. Hope it works out, hope to meet you all.

Phase 4 - almost there

2009-09-16T07:34:00.003+01:00

The phase 4 sites in Seacroft, Wetherby and Bramley are almost ready for hand over to Adult Social Care. The builder is in the final stages of tidying up both inside and out, making the final adjustments and preparing for the handover inspection on Monday.

You can see from the picture that things are looking good for all to go well.

Carolyne will be joining me shortly in helping to edit this blog, so hopefully you should start to see more varied entries more regularly.

Director's visit

2009-08-27T07:30:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since my last post, we have been very busy getting the wrinkles out of the services delivered and making sure that the lessons learned so far are translated into the work going on with the current build phases. Although 3 phases have been delivered, we are currently working on phases 4, 4a, 5, 5a, 6 and 7, it's also the middle of the annual holiday season.

Sandy Keene, Director of Adult Social Services was able to visit a couple of the phase 1 sites this month and despite some of the teeting problems she reported in her letter to staff :-

"I have been able to visit some of the first people moving into the new flats and apartments in the Independent Living Project for learning disabled people. They have told me in their own ways how their lives have changed since moving out of the old hostel-type accommodation. They have found new confidence and are asserting themselves to achieve potential they didn’t know they had. And I have talked to the staff who are supporting and encouraging their customers with enthusiasm and passion. My delight at the way we are changing people’s lives for the better is only tinged with sadness because we hadn’t been able to create these opportunities years ago."

Phase 3 handed over

2009-06-24T07:45:00.004+01:00

Following closely on the heels of Phase 2, the six sites of Phase 3 have been handed over this week. 3 properties in the Yeadon area and 3 more sites in East Ardsley. All the properties this time are for people with learning disabilities. This phase includes the first house type properties.

Phase 2 complete

2009-06-11T08:02:00.003+01:00

The properties in phase 2 of the ILP build programme were completed and handed over on time by the builder and the LiLAC consortium. Lessons have been learned from phase 1 and the preparations have been even better for the people who will move in in the next couple of weeks.

Staff training and tenant inductions have been completed sooner and accessibility to the properties to measure up for furniture and curtains has been far easier.

Gathering Pace

2009-06-01T08:32:00.003+01:00

The excitement of winning the trophy is beginning to fade, only to be replaced with the excitement of preparations for the handover of the phase 2 properties. Lessons have been learned from phase 1 and we are confident that things will progress even more smoothly than before. Very soon after phase 2, phase 3 will complete (before the end of the month) giving us another 6 properties to occupy.

We Won !

2009-05-20T12:27:00.008+01:00

Last night the ILP won the Public:Private Finance Award 2009 for the Best Community or User Involvement in a Project. The team were accompanied to the Grosvenor House Hotel by members from the LiLAC consortium and customers from some of the new properties.

The Great Room looked beautiful with over 800 people at the ceremony but the trophy looked even better sitting on our table. Congratulations to everyone who has been involved throughout the life of the project, everyone has contributed to this success.

Teething Problems

2009-04-19T08:37:00.002+01:00

As most people would have expected there have been teething problems with both the new properties and the new services, however, these are being corrected as quickly as possible. People are working hard to fix the minor niggling problems that have arisen and to make the service slicker. Many improvements have already been put in place and more will be in place before the next phase of buildings are handed over. There have been many lessons learned by Adult Social Care and by LiLAC.

The handyman service is something that has been very successful during the phase1 handover. Nick has been kept very busy putting up shelves, building furniture, fixing brackets and generally making himself useful. His work and willingness have been very much appreciated.

The Independent Living Project is LIVE

2009-03-31T07:15:00.003+01:00

All of the first phase buildings are now handed over. People start moving in this week to Bedford Place and Iveson Wood Rise. The Respite buildings are already a hive of activity with people making beds and stocking cupboards. The buildings look great with gardens now having turf in places and plants beginning to grow, they actually look lived in !!

Today we will be holding an open day at Scott Hall Grove. During the morning the press and councillors will be having a look around. This afternoon is an open session where people can come and have a look at the outcome of all the hard work over the last few years.

Busy times

2009-03-20T06:46:00.002Z

It has been a little while since I have had chance to comment on progress here, or to update the pictures in the archive. We are now at the point where the buildings in phase 1 will begin to be handed over to us by the builder. This is what has been occupying my time constantly for the last month, making sure that everything is ready and that everything that should be in the buildings is actually there before we accept them.

In the next few days the first people will be able to start moving into their new homes, a really exciting and important time for the Independent Living Project.

Carbon Monoxide warning

2009-02-16T15:51:00.004Z

I was asked during last week about carbon monoxide monitoring during a pilot group meeting. I promised to find out the situation and publish the answer here.

The only gas appliances in the dwellings are the central heating boilers and these are room sealed so there is no need for carbon monoxide monitoring as there is no way for carbon monoxide to be generated.

Phase 1 progress

2009-01-23T16:13:00.003Z

Traveling around the sites this week it has been very exciting to see finishing touches being applied. Utilities are being connected gas, electric, water and even telephones.

The painters are busy and there is even vinyl flooring being laid. Many of the bathrooms now have tiling on the walls and they are beginning to look very striking. There is obviously still a lot to do - but for phase 1 the end is in sight.

Progress on new sites

2009-01-16T09:08:00.004Z

Work has started in earnest on many of the new sites. Outgang Lane is the site for one of the new adult sites, providing 2 bungalows for 8 people, and Rainbow House, the childrens' short break building. The builder has a lot of heavy plant on-site clearing the ground ready for construction to start.

More sites starting this month

2009-01-06T14:34:00.007Z

The next phase of the ILP kicks off this month. Work has already started at Audby Lane with the asbestos survey undertaken in December. South Parkway, Outgang Lane, and Bailey's Lane start this week. Ceres Road starts next week and Seacroft Crescent will commence in early February. At the same time the Childrens' short break unit, Rainbow House, will also start work.

The Architects, Halliday Clark, have produced a model of Rainbow House which has been very warmly received. It is possible to take off the roof of the model to show the way that the building layout will work in practice.

All the photo records of the construction sites are now online via the photo archive.

Photo albums

2009-01-01T10:11:00.002Z

I spent some time over the Christmas break creating photo albums for all the sites currently under construction. Very shortly you will be able to access all the pictures that have been taken for all of the sites, rather than just a selection that I have made. All the albums will be online early in January, however if you would like preview have a look at Iveson Rise by clicking on the link.

It's Christmas

2008-12-19T08:23:00.003Z

It has been a really busy couple of weeks for the ILP team. We have spoken to tenants about their preferences for decoration, baths or showers and communal areas within buildings. All of this has been collated for 19 buildings across 13 sites and submitted to the builder in time for them to place orders with their suppliers before Christmas. 5 more sites will start work in the first two weeks of January with another sometime in mid-February.

On the subject of Christmas, can I wish everyone a very merry holiday and all the very best for the year to come.

Kitchen choices

2008-12-08T10:45:00.002Z

The architect has now produced rendered pictures of kitchens and bedrooms to help people choose the colour finishes that they would like in their new homes. All the options are available from the ILP web site.

Addresses

2008-11-25T13:39:00.003Z

I spent yesterday with the postal addresses authority along with Jack Lunn Construction discussing the addressing for the new properties in the first 3 phases. Addresses have now been agreed for most of the properties in the first 3 phases.

The final samples of upholstery and finishes are now with the architect for rendering to provide us with the ability to offer choices to new tenants. The software will allow someone to choose their colour scheme and see a picture of their room displayed on the screen to confirm the appearance for bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, where appropriate.

Rapid Progress

2008-11-18T07:44:00.004Z

Things have really started to accelerate over the last few weeks. Samples of finishes are arriving all the time. We have recently seen examples of kitchens, carpets, paints, curtains as well as parts of the building structure like windows and door handles.

I took Councillors Harrand and Kendal out to Iveson Rise to look at progress there, you should see the pictures in the Yorkshire Evening Post in the next few days. The site is beginning to look very different now that all the scaffolding is down and work has started on plastering.

Rainbow House to be built in Armley

2008-10-29T08:01:00.006Z

The contract to build a Childrens' Services short break centre in Armley was signed on Friday. Work will start on Rainbow House in January 2009 to have the building ready for use by February 2010.

The name is the result of a competition won by Kristina Pollard who received her prize and certificate at a 'fun' day where children designed a logo for the building. The picture shows the children working on the final design for the logo.

Latest news

2008-10-20T07:57:00.003+01:00

Most of the first phase sites are now up to roof level and we are providing the builder with more detailed information about the finishes inside. RDD (talk with the builder and architect about fine details in the design of each building) this last week included discussion about the forthcoming Children's development and phase 4 sites. We also spent some time looking at how to provide people with the best representation of the choices available. David Halliday, the architect, is looking at providing us with a computer programme that will change the picture displayed each time a choice is made until all the chosen options can be seen on screen like a photograph.

Phase 3 starts

2008-10-05T10:25:00.002+01:00

This week sees the start of the 3rd phase of building. There are another 6 sites in phase 3 and they will be starting at different times over the next couple of weeks. We have provided the builder with details for some of the internal fittings on phase 1 and during last week there was a meeting to discuss the lighting to the outside of buildings - footpaths, car parks and gardens. Health & Safety have had the hedge at Church Lane trimmed to ensure the safety of pedestrians but hopefully this will be allowed to grow back to its former glory once construction reaches the later stages.

Internal finishes

2008-09-25T12:48:00.003+01:00

We have started to make progress this week with internal finishes. We have been talking with the builder about carpets and vinyl flooring as well as exploring options on kitchens, doors and windows. At the recent progress meeting we were shown the area that will become a showroom for things like taps, heating controllers and all the other bits and pieces that make it possible to tailor the home environment to your satisfaction.

Construction

2008-09-20T08:27:00.003+01:00

The fine weather this week has made such a difference to progress on many of the sites. At Scott Hall Square and Iveson Rise the roof structure is on some blocks. By mid-week next week the first block at Iveson Rise should have the roof tiling completed which will be a momentous moment.

We have started to look at the detail of the internal construction, such things as where the electrical sockets will be installed and in which corner should the phone lines come in.

Progress on decoration

2008-09-15T08:05:00.003+01:00

Towards the end of last week we settled on the base colours that will used by Jack Lunn Construction. Starting with these colours they will create selections soft furnishings and decoration colours and finishes that are capable of mixing and matching. This should provide people moving into the new properties with a range of options from which to choose. The intention is that this information will be provided to Jack Lunn 12 weeks before the buildings are handed over to us, so that each home is ready, finished to an individual's own taste.

Phase 1 & 2 sites

2008-09-03T21:32:00.002+01:00

I have now managed to get around all of the phase 1 and 2 sites since my holiday. There has been considerable change on most of the phase 1 sites, despite the awful weather, and the 3 phase 2 sites have had the ground levelled and graded ready for the foundations to be laid. This week should see the start of roof construction on both Iveson Rise and Scott Hall Square.

Updated pictures should appear on the web pages in the next few days.

RDD Process

2008-09-01T09:39:00.009+01:00

The PFI contract involves LiLAC designing the new properties for the Independent Living Project. These designs are reviewed by Leeds City Council at each stage to ensure that they meet the stringent requirements of the Output Specification that forms a part of the contract.

This is known as Reviewable Design Data (RDD). There are RDD meetings held most months between the builder, Jack Lunn, the architect, Halliday Clark and Leeds City Council to discuss the latest designs.

Above you can see, left to right, Howard Eastwood from the PPPU, Leeds City Council; Rob Martin from Jack Lunn Construction and David Halliday from Halliday Clark reviewing the latest detail drawings for one of the phase 2 buildings.

Welcome

2008-07-30T06:03:00.003+01:00

This is the first entry in the Independent Living Project blog. The building phase will last until the middle of 2011 and then the scheme will be run by LiLAC for the next 25 years. My responsibility is to make sure that customers, carers and Leeds City Council get the service for which they are paying.

Please feel free to use this space to leave comments and thoughts on how you are being affected by the scheme, what you would like to see here in future or to ask questions.

I will use this site to keep you up to date with progress on the construction at each site and as a diary of my activity.