Plans for 60-bed care home in Eye
Plans have been lodged with Mid Suffolk District Council for a 60-bedroom care home on undeveloped land behind Hartismere Hospital in Eye.
The proposals, on behalf of Care UK, also include a separate community well-being centre which the developers say will provide 25 day care places for local elderly people, many of whom will be dementia sufferers.
The 1.85-acre site is bordered by the hospital, Hartismere School and Daniels Gardens, with access from Castleton Way through the hospital grounds. The developers have held consultations with council officers and staged a public exhibition.
Care UK already operates Paddock House in Eye and has other care home facilities at Stowmarket and Framlingham, as well as around the UK.
The Hartismere Hospital site will provide 24-hour care for frail and elderly people suffering from conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The plans detail a two-storey building with central entrance and internal ‘village’ of a conservatory, seating areas, a coffee shop and hair/beauty room on the ground floor, while on the first floor there will be a cinema/multi-purpose room. The residential areas are in two wings with individual ensuite bedrooms making up four ‘communities’ each with 15 residents and their own lounges and dining rooms. There are also landscaped gardens and 32 parking bays – 27 for the care home and five for the well-being centre.
The home is expected to create 50 full-time equivalent permanent jobs, with a maximum of 25 staff on-site at any one time, while the community well-being centre will provide a further four to five full-time equivalent jobs.
Details of the application, number 2792/13, can be viewed at www.midsuffolk.gov.uk