Desmond Court formally opens

23rd Mar 2016

On 22nd March we formally opened Desmond Court, our supported housing scheme at Linwood Crescent in Enfield, where we had speeches and the unveiling of a plaque to mark the occasion.

About Desmond Court

Desmond Court is a state of the art new scheme providing 14 self-contained flats for older people with learning disabilities. It provides residents with the opportunity to move from shared accommodation to their own flats with many support services.

It is named in honour of Desmond Gray, long-term Newlon Board member and champion of social and supported housing in north and east London.

Desmond sadly passed away in 2013 – his widow, Janice, joined us as a guest of honour for the opening of the scheme.

Outward, our care and support partner,  provide support services at Desmond Court, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The scheme was developed by contractors Keepmoat and designed by architects MEPK. It benefitted from £840,000 grant funding from the GLA via the Mayor’s specialist care and supported housing fund. The London Borough of Enfield provided an additional £250,000 of grant.

The design includes larger than usual flats, so although they are all one bedroom flats they can accommodate two people and many have features such as larger bathrooms.

Linwood Crescent history

Newlon and Outward have worked at Linwood Crescent since the mid-1990s, taking over six shared houses that were part of the estate and using them to provide supported living accommodation.

Desmond Court is part of our ongoing plans to remodel these original homes with the aim of moving people from shared to self-contained housing. The building originally on this site provided eight homes of shared accommodation.

With its large communal lounge and additional communal facilities it is planned that Desmond Court will act as a hub and meeting point for residents from our other homes in Linwood Crescent.