Abbeyfield Belfast opens £7.5m retirement facility

The not-for-profit provider of supported living for older people recently revealed Harberton Hall which contains 32 one and two bedroomed self-contained apartments as well as a restaurant, hair salon, reading gallery, arts and crafts room and exercise studio.

The the 38,750 square foot development is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and marks a step-change in the provision of care for older people. Providing both comfort and security, Harberton Hall has already secured 60% occupancy levels.

The ambitious project took two years to complete and was closely managed by Niki Molloy, chief executive with Abbeyfield Belfast.

“Harberton Hall, like our other four ‘houses’, has been inspired by the Abbeyfield ethos of making time for older people,” she explained.

“Our new facility is the direct result of talking to residents and delivering a purpose-built ideal living environment where they can thrive in a supportive and engaging atmosphere. Loneliness and isolation are very common problems for older people living in their own homes and this has been exacerbated with the COVID pandemic. Our residents will have the best of both worlds – a fully equipped luxury apartment where they can entertain or just enjoy their privacy, alongside a local community of peers with whom they can engage whenever they wish. A chef-prepared meal is served every evening in the restaurant and our in-house staff take care of laundry and cleaning, leaving residents little to do but socialise in our communal areas and indulge in the things they enjoy.

“We do believe that this kind of facility is the way forward for supported living for older people, but this is the first project of such scale that we have undertaken in our 60-year history so we will monitor and review things as we go along, listening again to our residents before we make any major decisions.”

A funding package of £4 million was provided by Barclays, Abbeyfield Belfast’s corporate banking partner, to support the development and the charity’s day-to-day operational requirements.

Louise Tiffney, relationship director, Barclays Corporate Banking in NI, added: “Harberton Hall is a fabulous new concept in assisted living for Northern Ireland and the team at Abbeyfield Belfast is committed to providing its residents with the freedom of choice to live independently, but safe in the knowledge that they have companionship and support as and when they require it.

“We are delighted to be supporting Abbeyfield Belfast in the provision of their long-term Corporate Banking requirements. Our relationship model, which brings industry expertise, has already added value to the Harberton Hall project by exploring the project’s digital potential for both staff and residents, as well as recognising Abbeyfield’s commercial approach combined with a value-based proposition. Harberton Hall is futureproofing the Abbeyfield brand for many years to come.”

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