Cherry Trees Respite

Supporting independent living for adults with learning disabilities

We're excited to share plans to extend and improve the existing overnight respite facilities that serve adults with learning disabilities across south Kirklees. Kirklees Council gave approval for plans in January 2019.

Over the last few months of 2019, we worked with service users and their carers to listen to their thoughts which have helped to shape the improvement plans.

The existing service has served the community well since it was initially opened, but we are now seeing more young people entering adulthood with more complex and profound needs including those with Autism who need improved facilities.

The site will include new state-of-the-art facilities including a sensory bathroom, sensory room, quiet room and an immersive room as well as an improved sensory garden.

Cherry Trees

Timeline

Please note timelines are subject to change, these are for guidance purposes only.

Timeline for Cherry Trees
Date Event
February to March 2020 Service transfers to alternative premises
March to April 2020 New extension build commences
Autumn 2020 Cherry Trees re-opens

Throughout the building phase the service will be transferring to alternative premises in Heckmondwike (Crescent Dale) to enable continuity of service for service users and to ensure their carers continue to benefit from taking regular breaks in their caring roles.

Supporting information

About the improved facilities

Cherry Trees has been designed to be a modern, fit for purpose, flexible respite home. It will retain the 8 en-suite bedrooms but these will be improved with all having overhead tracking. It will also benefit from additional sensory and therapeutic spaces with state of the art facilities including an immersive room.

The mix of spaces has been developed to ensure the service is accessible for all existing and new service users. It will meet the need of people with learning disabilities with a variety of needs including those with physical disabilities, sensory needs, mobility needs and Autism.

The new facility will continue to be run and managed by Kirklees Council and will continue to support people from across south Kirklees.

Plans

Cherry Trees planning application details

Facilities

The new Cherry Trees service will include the following facilities:

  • Sensory Bathroom; incorporating multi-sensory bath (incorporating warm air spa, LED light system and integrated speakers with Bluetooth connectivity as well as a changing table).
  • Sensory Room, with multi-sensory facilities to suit various sensory needs.
  • Quiet room; designed to calm those people that may have behaviours that challenge in a separate space.
  • Immersive room; incorporating interactive floor and walls and other facilities to stimulate senses including sound, smell and visual. This room also incorporates air conditioning which can be used to cool down people to help prevent seizures.
  • Rooms connected to the private rear courtyard garden area by full length glazed windows in the extra wide corridors to ensure people are encouraged to make use of the improved outdoor area for outdoor sensory experiences and to improve their wellbeing.
  • Improved accessible outdoor space incorporating more outdoor lighting, improved pathways, seating, a gazebo, a specialist swing for wheelchair users, raised beds and a potting shed.
Accessibility

Cherry Trees has been designed to meet the needs of new and existing service users.

The new facilities will incorporate improvements to the environment to improve accessibility, for example, improvements to enhance lighting levels, improvements to signage to aid way finding and improvements to ensure different surfaces have improvements to contrast.

Flexibility

The spaces have been designed to ensure they give maximum flexibility and so they can be adapted to meet future needs relatively easily should trends and demands change.