Building the dream home for young disabled people in St Albans

22/09/2009

A new Ability development for young disabled people in St Albans has just started. When completed, it will provide 9 new self-contained homes with a mix of one and two bedrooms.

The project evolved from the concern of a group of parents of young people with severe disabilities in St Albans. They were worried about the future and what provision would be available for these young people when they left specialist residential schools or colleges. Their concern culminated in the Castle Project, so named because it evolved from the desires of young people with severe disabilities to live independently, including one man’s dream to live in a castle.

Happily for these young people the Castle Project is becoming a reality. Ability, in partnership with St Albans District Council and Hertfordshire County Council have secured a grant of £734,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency which will enable the nine new homes to be built.

David Williams, Ability Chief Executive, said: “The award of funding for this project is the culmination of years of planning and successful partnership working between young disabled people, their parents, the two councils and Ability”.

St Albans District Council provided the land for the development which will make use of a disused urban site with derelict garages. Demolition and site clearance will start in September with completion scheduled for July 2010.

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