A ‘TOPPING out’ ceremony has been held at a £10.8 million care home and extra-care scheme in Keighley.

The development – on the site of the former Bronte Middle School – will provide 36 two-bed and 33-one bed extra-care apartments with communal areas, a lounge, activity room, restaurant, offices, hair salon and therapy room.

Alongside will be a 50-bed resource centre, with a range of long and short-term residential services.

The complex – designed by Langtry-Langton architects – is being constructed as part of Bradford Council’s Great Places to Grow Old initiative, supporting a drive for older people to maintain independent living.

Building work is being carried out, on behalf of the council, by Derbyshire-based Wildgoose Construction.

The project is due for completion by January next year.

Topping out relates to the installation of the final piece of a structure, or the completion of the roof on a building.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the council, the construction firm and architects.

Also present were two apprentices who are working on the site – Riley Wilson, an apprentice joiner, and technical apprentice George Caraman.

Under a wider scheme, Wildgoose Construction is also building 51 new homes on an adjacent site, in a contract worth £6.6 million.

That venture, also on behalf of the council, comprises a mixture of terraced and semi-detached homes.

There will be two and three-bedroomed properties for affordable rent and three and four-bedroomed houses for sale.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for healthy people and places, welcomed the progress being made on the scheme.

“I am delighted that building work is progressing so well,” she said.

“Providing modern purpose-built places where people can live life to the full and get the support they need in older age is vitally important to the future of our residents and supports our Great Places to Grow Old strategy.”

And Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: “Schemes like this one, providing a mix of housing for residents in later life alongside affordable homes for families, work particularly well as they help people to build a real sense of community.”

Jonathan Wildgoose, executive chairman of Wildgoose Construction, said he hoped the completed project would be “a great asset for the local community and a credit to all those involved”.

He added: “The workforce at Wildgoose Construction is putting in a huge amount of effort and commitment to ensure that the quality of the finished scheme will be to the highest standards.”