The Blackwood House at Charleston: Turning Innovation into Action

In March 2021 Blackwood’s Board set a 5-year strategic objective to Innovate and Grow – to build 400 new homes by 2027 and to progress our advocacy of a choice and control-based future for independent living. For context, in March 2021 Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, UK construction output had surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time and CPI was a mere 1%. To say this objective was set in a different time would be an understatement, it was almost set in a different world.

Having spent 50 years at the forefront of independent living innovation, three years in to delivering our objective we are facing the same pressures being felt across the sector – rising construction and maintenance costs, reduced and uncertain funding environments for both new development and medical adaptations, the intense impacts of the cost-of-living crisis for our customers and our organisation and an ever-growing level of demand. So now is the time to turn innovation into action.

At our new Charleston development in the west of Dundee we are delivering 66 new accessible, affordable, beautiful and connected homes across seven distinct development sites with our main contractor, Campion Homes. In collaboration with industry and academic partners we have also accessed funding through UKRIs Healthy Ageing Challenge to trial innovative products and services in three Scottish neighbourhoods, including Charleston. These products and services aim to support people to live five additional healthy years within their communities and, coupled with the groundbreaking design of the Blackwood House, will truly support people to live independently. And working in partnership with Hillcrest Homes and Bield Housing and Care we have secured a holistic approach to allocating these new homes, bringing accessible accommodation to those who need it most.

As a sector that thrives on innovation, we will find new ways to do great things when times are difficult. And to do that we need to have the right partners and a clear mission in mind – to keep supporting our customers to live independently, however that might look for them.

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This blog was published to coincide with Scottish Housing Day 2024.

If you found this of interest:

• Stephanie also joined us for our HAPPI Hour webinar on 'Housing LIN Scotland presents... Showcasing innovation and good practice' on Tuesday 1st October 2024 at 4pm - 5m, where she will provide an update on their UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge-funded Peoplehood project and other projects transforming Blackwood. You can now watch the recording.
• Listen to the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘Accessible housing (part 4) with Simon Fitzpatrick (opens new window)’, in which Simon takes us through the early days of concept design planning for the Charleston development.