The Isle of Wight Alzheimer’s Cafe in Cowes could be expanded with improved facilities, amid forecasts of an increasingly ageing Island population.
Mrs M. Bennett has submitted a proposal for extending and altering the Parklands Dementia Resource Centre on Park Road in Cowes, a site leased from County Hall for a 25-year period.
The ‘highly successful’ community facility is used by those who have forms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as well as people who support them, according to a statement from the applicant’s agent, Phil Salmon Planning.
The statement says:
“The demands on the NHS and social services on the Isle of Wight are significant; much higher than the national average.
“To put the demands on services in context, the national average of population aged 65 years and over in the UK is 18.3 per cent. The average for the Island currently stands at 29.3 per cent.
“Given the identified need for additional services across the Island, this proposal serves to meet some of that need.
“The proposal is for the extension of the building to provide additional and accessible space, designed specifically for dementia/Alzheimer’s care and service provision.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Submitted plans include a single storey side extension to the west side of the building for an ‘additional social/activity space’, a single storey ground floor rear extension providing extra ‘WC/laundry/utility room space’ and a landscaped garden area, fully accessible by wheelchair.
The Isle of Wight Council’s public consultation on application 25/01246/FUL closes on 5th December and a decision is expected on 26th December.
I see a possible EVRI parcel “delivery” abandoned on the forecourt.
Who will pay for the extension and alterations?