Developers pledge new care home will not stretch health services in booming part of Preston

The home is to be built on land which is currently being used as a site compound for building work going on around Sandy Lane in Cottam.

The two-storey facility will sit next to the new East West Link Road which will connect Lightfoot Lane, Fulwood with Edith Rigby Way near to the former Saddle Inn.

And Liberty Care Developments say it will help to meet a growing need for care beds in the area. They say a study has shown there is currently a demand for 281 wetroom bedrooms within a three-mile radius of Sandy Lane.

In a report submitted to Preston Council's planning department this week, the company argues that building new care homes do not put a strain on local health services.

"A common misconception in providing a new care home is that this will create added pressure on local health services; in our experience we find this to be the opposite," says the report. "Providing additional care bedrooms within an area frees up hospital beds.

"The care home will employ registered nurses who will be able to deal with many of the minor ailments common to the elderly population; reducing demands on local GP services. GPs will be contracted to conduct ‘ward rounds’ where they are able to treat a number of residents in the safe environment of the care home.

"Keeping the residents away from GP waiting rooms means that they are less likely to be exposed to infections. This is even more important given our recent experiences during the pandemic, where huge efforts have been made to protect the elderly and the vulnerable within our communities."

The proposed care home will be built opposite Maxy Farm which includes a children's nursery, a restaurant and a salon. It will have 24 parking spaces and residents will be able to enjoy communal gardens wrapping around the building.

The report adds: "The internal spaces will be designed to be as homely as possible to create familiar and comfortable surroundings for the residents. A variety of rooms have been designed to both calm the residents and also provide stimulating experiences that prevent them from becoming bored or frustrated."