A DOZEN specially designed "dementia friendly" apartments have opened in York - the first of their kind in the city.

The new homes are part of City of York Council's extension at Glen Lodge extra care housing complex on Sixth Avenue, and on Friday the building work's completion was celebrated.

The £4 million project began just over a year ago and in April this year a "topping out" ceremony with builders William Birch marked the end of building work on the 25 new flats and two bungalows. Now internal works have finished and the first residents have moved in.

Of the 27 new homes, 12 are specially designed for people who have dementia.

Cllr Carol Runciman, the council's executive member for adult social care, said: "It was interesting to visit the dementia friendly flats. They don't have many walls but have open bookcases, so you can see from the bedroom into the lounge area."

Brightly coloured tiling is used in the bathrooms and kitchens to make it easier to see things, she added, and the flats are kept very open and airy to make them easier to get around even at night.

Roy Wallington, who is in charge of York's wider overhaul of older people's accommodation, added: "The key thing is orientation, so people can see everything that they need in their flats."

Even the more traditionally designed flats have walls that can be slid open if people prefer the open plan design, he added.

The Glen Lodge project has been called a tremendous step forward for the wider project, and executive member for housing Cllr Sam Lisle said the extra care - or ultra sheltered housing - homes allow people to keep their independence for longer which can in turn help people live longer, and is cheaper for the authority than traditional care homes.

With the number of over 75s in York expected to go up by 50 per cent by 2030, this style of housing will become more and more important for the city, he added.

A similar project is now in the pipeline for Marjorie Waite Court in Clifton with 33 new flats, and a planning application is expected early next year.