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Consulting with potential residents to make great retirement housing in Sunderland

Sensory Trust was asked to consult with a group of older people at Hahnemann Court, a project to create new retirement housing in Sunderland. The aim of the consultation was to ensure that the public and private garden areas would work for the residents when they moved from their existing flats into the new building in three year’s time.

Hahnemann Court's existing garden space

The work was commissioned by Gentoo, a major property company in the North East. Gentoo are building a new development in Sunderland’s Southwick area. Phase Three of the development includes the Leafields residential area that includes 100 one and two bedroom extra care apartments and 10 elderly, wheelchair and extra care bungalows. This new development is being built to replace Hahnemann Court, a 1960’s housing block. Residents have been consulted since the very earliest stages to ensure that the new development meets their expectations.

Sensory Trust spent a day with more than 50 residents to discuss ideas for the communal outdoor spaces. We asked what sort of activities they would prefer to do in that space, and the sort of feeling that space should have. Preferred activities included sitting in the sun, eating, and socialising to more energetic pursuits such as gardening and bowls. Through discussions with Sensory Trust, residents also commented on the mood of the gardens and outlined the type of place that they would feel most comfortable in and were most likely to use.

Consultation day at the Hahnemann Court community rooms.

Prior to the consultation Sensory Trust met with the architect and landscape architect to discuss different aspects of the design, most notably the way the indoor and outdoor spaces could flow together. Ideas discussed at that meeting included the refocusing of the communal laundry area to include facilities to make that more of a social space; and for the indoor corridors to offer flexible social spaces, movable seating and so on to invite casual meetings social encounters.

Sensory Trust finally produced a report detailing over 40 recommendation and suggestions covering subjects from activities, planting and services, to lighting and wayfinding which will be used to improve the liveability and usability of the public spaces at the new development.

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