Southampton: Vail Williams helps breathe new life into care home 

A deal brokered by commercial property specialist Vail Williams on behalf of Autism Hampshire will see the former care facility at 39-41 Belmont Road, Southampton, redeveloped into a brand-new home for autistic children and young adults.

Recently purchased by St Andrews Holdings, the redevelopment will be designed by award-winning architects Denvo Design. It will provide assisted living and care facilities with 19 light and bright one-bedroomed flats and associated communal and staff facilities.

The property was owned by Autism Hampshire for over 30 years, but following the charity’s decision that the communal accommodation offered there was no longer fit for purpose, it was decided to dispose of the building. Vail Williams secured the sale to St Andrew Holdings which is experienced in providing care to local communities and running similar successful facilities that provide assisted living accommodation across the UK. 

Health and wellbeing of the residents is a key driver of the new design, which features large window areas to the flats and natural lighting to the corridors and main atrium staircase. The building will also be predominantly pre-fabricated off site, reducing any potential disruption to the local neighbourhood. The construction will be to a high standard of thermal and acoustic insulation to keep residents’ heating bills to a minimum, while also providing a calming environment by reducing noise nuisance. Products and technologies will also be included to minimise residents’ electricity and water usage.

Externally, the scheme will feature a green roof, provide a pleasing outlook for the surrounding properties, and prevent storm water from surcharging the existing drainage system. The rear garden will have a communal seating area, a meandering footpath, raised beds of sensory plants and boundary planting of shrubs and semi-mature trees.

Alex Gauntlett, graduate surveyor at Vail Williams, said: “Our marketing campaign received great interest from a variety of local experts, so we’re pleased that our strong local knowledge and expertise has enabled us to secure St Andrews Holdings as the right buyer. The future for this property appears very bright and it’s great to see that it is being retained as a local community asset.”