Council to close five sheltered housing complexes

Five sheltered housing schemes in part of Leicestershire are to be sold.

Charnwood Borough Council has approved plans to sell five complexes for people over the age of 60 which it said do not meet "modern standards" and are now almost half empty.

Block A Fielding Court in Loughborough, Babington Court in Rothley, Martin Court in Anstey, Sorrell Court in Mountsorrel and St Peter's Court in Syston will be sold.

The council said the 45 residents still living across the five sites will be compensated and supported to find alternative accommodation.

The plan to sell the sites, first suggested by the council in March 2025, was approved by the council's cabinet on Thursday after options to retain the five sites had been "explored and exhausted".

Councillors were told the authority intends to start moving tenants to other properties this year, and said they would be "fully" supported.

The council said the sales would be invested in council housing including being used to buy new dwellings.

After the sale, the council will still operate eight sheltered housing schemes.

A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council said: "We fully appreciate this situation affects people's homes and we are supporting tenants and engaging with them as much as possible.

"We have examined all options for the five schemes. However, the schemes cannot viably be remodelled or redeveloped due to costs.

"The council has actively promoted the sites to tenants for a number of years, but we know from various consultations and feedback that many tenants do not want sheltered accommodation, in particular bedsits with shared bathing facilities.

"Even before we put a hold on people moving into these schemes in 2025, there was a historically high number of vacant units."

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