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Darrell Jeffreys House in Bedford is set to the be transformed into supported living accommodation following a successful sale and planning permission from Fisher German’s expert teams.

The former care home, in Chaucer Road, is being converted into 13 flats to provide accommodation for people with learning disabilities. It was sold by our Bedford agency team on behalf of a private client to Empowered Homes, which creates accommodation to enable vulnerable adults to live in their own homes across the UK.

Previously, planning permission for the building was restricted to providing care to those over the age of 65. Our in-house planning team worked with the company’s planning representatives to gain permission for this to be amended to providing care for those aged 18 and above, helping to tackle a national shortage in vital accommodation. Work is now underway to transform the building, with the flats anticipated to be available for use from April 2022.

Associate Mathew Brandon, from our Bedford team, said: “We are very pleased to complete the sale of Darrell Jeffreys House to Empowered Homes. It’s quite rare for properties like this to come on to the market in Bedford, so we understandably received a high volume of interest from care providers, residential developers and those who wanted to convert the building into a single dwelling.

“It’s because of this that we achieved a very positive result for our client, and it is fantastic that the building will remain in the care sector and be a real asset to the community. We were also pleased to use our multidisciplinary expertise to help ensure that Empowered Homes could obtain the correct planning permission to provide accommodation to those over the age of 18.”

Raymond Murphy, of Empowered Homes, added: “We’re passionate about helping vulnerable people have the best quality of life possible, enabling them to live in the community in good accommodation. There’s a real need for supported living homes across the country, and we’re working closely with local authorities and care providers to help meet the shortage.

“It’s fantastic to begin our first development in Bedford. It can be difficult to find suitable buildings, so we were very happy to work with Fisher German to purchase Darrell Jeffreys House and welcomed their support in achieving planning permission in relation to the use of the property. The local community has been very supportive of the plans and are pleased that the building will continue to provide care to those in Bedford. We now look forward to completing the renovation works and welcoming the first tenants.”

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