Robertson Homes in link with Bield Housing & Care

ROBERTSON Homes is teaming up with a charity that houses and cares for the elderly to build affordable sheltered accommodation in a move that will see it tap into a growing ­market.

The family-owned group, which is headquartered in Elgin and Stirling, will hear this week whether its first collaboration with Bield Housing & Care can go ahead, as Fife Council considers planning permission for an £18 million development in St Andrews.

Managing director John Murphy said that Robertson wants to create a strategic alliance with Bield that should eventually see it build two or three such developments a year. The work will be on top of the housebuilder’s usual ­output.

Murphy said: “There is an acknowledged lack of adaptable housing stock for older people – those who are often best placed to downsize to properties which better meet their needs.

“The partnership is ­currently exploring opportunities in Fife, Perth and Kinross and in East Dunbartonshire, and are confident our combined experience will help deliver first-rate properties for this growing market.”

The strategic agreement will see Robertson involved from the start, working with Bield to identify sites, design developments and get them through the planning phase.

The properties, which are “future-proofed” to ensure residents will be able to stay in their homes for as long as possible into old age, will be marketed by Bield to the over-60s on a shared ownership model.

The agreement with Robertson means the charity will not be reliant on ­increasingly scarce government subsidies.

Bield chief executive ­Brian Logan said: “With an ever-increasing ageing ­population, our services have never been more ­necessary.

“This partnership with ­Robertson demonstrates our willingness to continue to look creatively at solutions to the challenges ­being faced.”