Work to build 64 new homes has started on Mansfield’s Brownlow Road.

Since taking over the site at the end of August, the contractor Keepmoat has created a site compound, put up hoarding, removed vegetation and begun levelling the site. Within the next few weeks work will take place to put in the foundations and a retaining wall.

The Executive Mayor of Mansfield, Tony Egginton, visited the site on Tuesday to see the progress that has been made so far. The project manager, Gerry Doherty from Keepmoat gave the Mayor, who was joined by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Deputy Leader Councillor Joyce Bosnjak and representatives from Keepmoat and the Homes and Communities Agency, a tour of the site.

The development is an extra care scheme, which enables people over the age of 55 who may have additional care needs to live as independently as possible with care staff on site 24 hours a day.

The bungalows, houses and apartments will be built in the style of a village with a village green and communal hub as the focal points. Work is due to be completed in November 2015.

The communal facilities include a kitchen, lounge and television area and two multi-purpose activity and meeting rooms as well as allotment space and a sensory garden.

There are ten one-bedroom bungalows for people with low-level dementia, which have separate communal areas and are built around a secure courtyard.

The development includes ten shared ownership properties (five two-bed bungalows and five two-bed houses) for people aged 55 and over.

Mansfield District Council is working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) to provide the £8.4m development.

The District Council, which owns the land, has invested around £11m preparing the site and will contribute just over £3m towards the development.

The County Council will provide up to £4m towards creating 48 of the homes including the ten bungalows for people with low-level dementia.

The Department of Health has provided £1.3m in grant funding through the Homes and Communities Agency’s Care and Support Specialised Housing programme.

The Executive Mayor of Mansfield, Tony Egginton, said: “It is exciting to see the work that has been done so far. Now that the vegetation is gone and the site has been levelled you can more easily picture how fantastic it will look once finished. The new homes will transform the street and surrounding area and be somewhere that we can be proud to say is in Mansfield.

“This is yet another example of what can be achieved through good partnership working and I feel sure residents in the area are pleased to see the commencement of the development.”

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Councillor Joyce Bosnjak said: “The Brownlow Road site has been a blight on the local landscape for some time so it’s fantastic to see that work is starting on this ambitious project.

“Part of the scheme includes extra care housing for local older people, which will help to retain their independence whilst having on-site support if and when they need it.”

Martin Smithurst, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, said: “Now that the site has been prepared, we are looking forward to beginning work on the construction of this exciting scheme for Mansfield.

“Extra care enables older people to live independently and remain in their local community close to family and social networks. I’m sure that the new homes at Brownlow Road will be extremely popular.”

A 3D tour of the redevelopment is available to view at http://youtu.be/Tc96M20K0vw

The extra care scheme is the first of three stages to redevelop Brownlow Road and Bould Street. The next stage is to build 20 properties in a similar design and the final stage is for 80 family homes.