WORK is under way for a new development providing supported accommodation for young adults with disabilities in Blackburn.

Commissioned by Blackburn with Darwen Council, the £900,000 project scheduled to be completed by October, is being constructed by specialist accommodation developer Homelife in partnership with Inclusion Housing and Lifeways Community Care.

It will provide12 one-bedroomed apartments for young adults with a variety of disabilities along with on-site specialist support.

The council’s children’s services director Maureen Bateson said the Apple Street scheme was ‘a major step forward for young people seeking their independence as adults.”

The development in Wensley Fold has been designed in two wings to create an individuality within the building and is set over two floors with a central office within the reception foyer and staff accommodation on the first floor.

It also includes a quiet room and a sensory room that opens into a secluded garden to the rear of the development, off the central axis of the building.

Andrew Hopkinson, director of Homelife, said: “ The apartments will make a big difference to people’s lives, enabling them to live independently with support.

“We are delighted Blackburn with Darwen Council chose Homelife to design and build the property and for their vision, support and approach.”

Cllr Bateson said: “This is a really excellent development of the type we need.

“It provides young adults with difficulties seeking to move on with their lives independently with a long-term home.”

Homelife is a specialist development company who design and build bespoke supported accommodation delivering individually-tailored housing solutions that meet the needs of local people.