Mount Pleasant, Old Kilpatrick

Mount Pleasant is situated on the site of a former care home in Old Kilpatrick, West Dunbartonshire, offering a range of homes specially designed to cater to the needs of tenants aged 55 and above, as well as those in later life.

The design philosophy of the masterplan and housing mix supports ageing in place and provides an inclusive community for residents, emphasising accessibility and inclusivity.

Designed by Anderson Bell + Christie, a total of 19 homes are provided, including 1 & 2-bed flats, cottage flats, and fully wheelchair-accessible bungalows, arranged around a central community garden and residents’ car park. The central garden is visible from each residential block and provides a focus and social hub for residents, with raised planting beds and amenity space to encourage interaction.

The development is the latest example of how West Dunbartonshire Council’s approach to integrating dementia-friendly design features. This includes no steps and level changes are managed with gentle ramps; paths and roads are clearly delineated for individuals to assist people with visual impairments or perceptual difficulties, and readily-adaptable housing layouts.

For the flatted block specifically, full lift access is available, and a different colour scheme was applied to each floor, with different tiling, paint, and door colours (CCG’s own FD30 engineered timber fire door sets) aiding wayfinding and orientation.

Through direct appointment to the contract, CCG was involved in the design process at the early stages of development. This “early contractor involvement” approach utilises CCG’s in-house technical and divisional expertise and helped to identify any potential risks and delays to project delivery. Undertaken on an open-book basis with the Council alongside the contractor-appointed design team, any identified issues were carefully managed while relevant opportunities for value creation and driving overall project costs down (without compromising quality) were highlighted and implemented timeously.

Key time and cost savings were achieved through CCG’s technical understanding of the site and the application of newly adopted technologies, such as I-Mist sprinkler systems and exhaust air source heat pumps—the first of their kind to be installed by the local authority

This approach to overall delivery led to an estimated 12-month saving to the pre-construction programme, while CCG’s construction capabilities enabled full handover within just 12 months – earlier than the originally planned contract duration.

Client: 
West Dunbartonshire Council

Contract Value: 
£6m