The Minister for Social Care will be seeking Tynwald approval this week to spend up to ?785,000 on the development of six new apartments and associated environmental works including new car parking on the Bretney estate in Jurby. The proposal is for three blocks of two storey apartments each containing two two-bedroomed apartments designed to the Department of Social Care’s current housing standards. The Minister for Social Care Hon Chris Robertshaw MHK said: “With over 1400 persons listed on the Public Sector General Housing waiting list who are in need of affordable housing, it is essential that Government continues to invest in affordable housing. Although this project is relatively small in scale, it is utilising existing under-used land in Government ownership and will provide continuing work for the Island’s construction industry.” The properties will help the Department provide rented housing to smaller households (single people and couples) in the North of the Island where there is very little accommodation of this size. Currently there are at least 28 persons on the Department’s waiting list seeking this type of property in the North. It is intended that the properties will be built to modern space standards such that they can be adapted on the ground floor for persons with a range of mobility needs. This flexibility is increasingly important as the number of older people and others with such needs continues to rise. The cost of the scheme is within the budget already included in the Government estimates for this year and if approved will allow the project to commence on site later this month on programme. - ENDS -