Work restarts at Belong Birkdale in Southport, two years after contractor’s administration

Whitfield & Brown has now been appointed to complete the £19m project, which will see the construction of a 100-home care village in Southport.

The project had been paused two years ago when previous contractor Cruden Construction went bust. Cruden itself had replaced Pochin as the main contractor for the scheme after that company entered administration in 2019.

Widnes-based Whitfield & Brown has already started preparatory work on the site off Oxford Road, with the aim of opening the care village in the summer of 2023. According to developer Belong, Whitfield & Brown was chosen for the contract based on its expertise in specialist dementia accommodation.

“We’re delighted to be working with Whitfield & Brown for the completion of Belong Birkdale,” said Belong’s interim chief executive and chief finance officer, Chris Hughes.

“Their track record will be invaluable in bringing to life the vision for our first coastal care village.”

Whitfield & Brown deputy managing director Gareth Hadfield shared his enthusiasm for the project. “We know that the Birkdale village is highly anticipated in the community, so we’re excited to get on-site and progress work rapidly to finish what will be a magnificent care environment,” he said.

Belong Birkdale will consist of 74 beds with 24-hour care and nursing support. These beds will be divided across six buildings. There will also be 30 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments. These will be available for purchase or rent.

Residents of Belong Birkdale will have numerous amenities to take advantage of, including a bistro, hair salon and exercise studio. There will also be function rooms and a specialist daycare service.

Pozzoni Architecture designed the development, which is the result of a partnership between later-life residential developers Belong and Octopus Real Estate.

Belong Birkdale is the ninth location for the Belong brand, which also operates facilities in Chester, Atherton, Crewe, Didsbury, Macclesfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Warrington and Wigan.