Orchard Close sheltered housing in Twyford to close

Abbeyfield Winchester Society has announced the proposed closure of Orchard Close sheltered housing development.

The decision is expected to be agreed by society members at a special general meeting in early April, with an initial closure date on June 30.

However in light of recent government announcements regarding coronavirus, it is now likely that this date will be extended to the autumn.

The charity says residents and staff will be the priority. Residents will be helped to find alternative accommodation, and staff and trustees will support them and their families to make their transition as pain-free as possible.

The 15 staff, two full-time and 13 part-time, are now going through a consultation process for potential redundancy.

Abbeyfield Winchester has struggled to halt falling occupancy over the past few years despite significant marketing and networking. This is against a backdrop of a changing market in housing and care for older people with many choosing to remain living independently in their own home for as long as possible and then making a move to a fully-supported care home or community from which they will not need to move again. While services provided by Abbeyfield Winchester include housekeeping, catering and general support, there is no care provision and no feasibility of introducing it.

Linda Snoswell, chairman of trustees, said: “Closure is a dreadful thing to have to contemplate and plan for but we have to be realistic and responsible. This has been a very difficult decision to make and not one made lightly. There have been many months of discussions and meetings before we reached this point, and decided that we have no other option.

“We were mindful that our prime responsibilities as trustees were financial probity and governance. Whilst we considered various options, in light of falling occupancy, our substantial debts and low reserves, it became clear that we had no option but to recommend a carefully managed closure which in itself has cost implications.

“Of course we are acutely aware of our responsibilities to our residents, remembering that they are all elderly and vulnerable; to our very loyal and hard-working staff; and to our members who have continued to demonstrate their affection and concern for Orchard Close and its residents.”

At meetings on March 17with staff, residents and members, the trustees outlined the struggles of the past two years in particular, the various actions that have been taken to try to save Orchard Close, and their proposals for closure.

Until two years ago Abbeyfield Winchester Society was in the enviable position of being able to attract residents without much difficulty. However, times change and Abbeyfield’s model of independent living, whilst being part of a community to alleviate loneliness, has become less and less attractive. The society is not alone. Indeed the central Abbeyfield organisation is currently in the process of shutting down 22 houses.

Besides the changing market, Orchard Close has three other major issues. Firstly, although the site is beautiful, it is isolated. Secondly, it is within the South Downs National Park which has significant and restrictive planning implications, and thirdly Abbeyfield Winchester Society has large loans.”

The trustees considered re-configuring the buildings and improving facilities, for example creating kitchenettes or selling some flats to give an injection of funds that would support future development. However, this would have involved spending large sums of money which were not available. Borrowing would have been risky as it was impossible to predict if money on improvements would guarantee more interest, as the fundamental model was becoming outdated.

Abbeyfield Winchester also explored the possibility of a merger. The trustees first approached another Abbeyfield society, but AWS’s large loans made them an unattractive proposition. The second approach was to St John’s Winchester, a local charity with similar charitable aims. After exhaustive discussions and due diligence, St John’s board of trustees decided to end its interest in a merger of the two charities.

Chair of St John’s trustees, Roger Bright said: “This decision was not reached lightly, and was only taken after long deliberation. The three greatest factors in the board’s decision were the location of the site and its isolated nature, the very restrictive planning constraints as result of being part of the South Downs National Park and, linked with planning, the inability to deliver a development of enough scale. We share with AWS a mission to support and care for local older people and have common values. It is a shame therefore that a collaboration between our two charities has not proved possible because of the site constraints and location. We wish AWS well and will continue to offer what support we can.”