Ability scheme is 'phenomenal' says Minister
15.02.2011
"I can honestly say that I have never seen a better-designed facility anywhere in the country" says government minister Lynne Featherstone.
The Castle Mews complex, in Flint Way, St Albans, played host to equalities minister Lynne Featherstone, who enjoyed a tour and chatted to residents. The development, opened in October after a partnership agreement between Ability, St Albans District Council and Hertfordshire County Council, consists of nine specially equipped flats for residents aged between 18 and 28.
With the help of high-tech mobility aids it provides independent living opportunities for residents who otherwise may be forced to live with their families. Ms Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat MP, said the results were deeply impressive.
She said: “This is the kind of facility you would wish for your own child. It is a very close community which has been phenomenally well designed and sets a great example for the rest of the country to follow.
“Money is short in all quarters at the moment but this is an example of the kind of thing that can be achieved. It really changes lives and gives people respect.”
Ms Featherstone had earlier met resident Andrew Bird, whose new home allows him to work four days a week for a disability action group.
She learned how the project had had an enormously beneficial impact on his life.
