Stoke-on-Trent City Council has named Sapphire, a consortium led by Eric Wright Group and including Kajima Partnerships, Your Housing Group and Seddon Construction as their preferred bidder to build and maintain 390 extra care apartments across three sites in a £108m project, the biggest scheme of its kind to ever be developed in Stoke-on Trent.

Villages will be created at each of the three sites and will offer spacious apartments within a community setting for people aged over 55.  The housing will help meet an identified need in the city and offer its residents the opportunity to continue to live independently but with access to services and facilities that help them.

The consortium will build, finance and operate the retirement villages over a 25 year period in partnership with Stoke-on Trent City Council.