A care provider has submitted plans to build a new care home in Crowthorne after demolishing the existing house on site.
If approved, the Oak Dale site on Lower Wokingham Road would be transformed into a 60-bed facility to provide accommodation for the elderly, including those with dementia.
The Crowthorne Care project would be operated by Barchester Healthcare Ltd, an independent care provider that runs over 250 homes across the UK.
It would be developed following the demolition of the existing detached property, which is currently occupied by AXLR8 – a software company that builds customer relationship management systems for both the public and private sectors, and three smaller outbuildings.
Plans detail the care home to be spread over three floors, comprising of nearly 3,000 square metres of floor space.
A series of three interlocking rectangular buildings would create distinct zones for different room types. The main vertical block would comprise a majority of the bedrooms, whilst the second vertical block would house the majority back of house, staff and administration spaces.
The horizontal block would provide accommodation for the main day spaces, such as lounge, dining, and communal areas, as well as a cafe, cinema, and hairdressers for use by both residents and visitors.
Private garden spaces set around the building would be created to provide patio areas for residents to make the most of the outdoor landscaping.
A total of 24 parking spaces would be provided on site, with two reserved for blue badge holders only.
It is expected that the proposal will create approximately 48 jobs, made up of about 20 full-time staff and other part-time roles comprising eight qualified nurses, 30 care assistants, seven catering and household staff, and three administrative and maintenance staff – with up to 14 being on site at any one time.
Shift patterns are typically broken down into three a day, the first from 8am to 5pm, an afternoon shift from 1pm until 8pm, and a night shift from 8pm to 8am, which the applicant claims will limit the impact on the local highway networks.
Barchester claims the development would help deliver the “much-needed” care beds to the local area and allow the elderly to remain in the local area “through their later years”.
A public event was set up by the provider in order to engage the local community and generate feedback. Although 11 people were in attendance, just two forms were completed and returned.
Barchester claims they raised no objections, with both broadly agreeing with proposal in principle.
The scheme will now be decided on by the council’s planning team.
