WORK has begun on a new care home that will provide housing for 60 elderly people.

The former Fell View Home for the Elderly, Barnacre Road, Longridge, has been torn down and housing chiefs hope the new home will be up and running late next year.

Fell View closed its doors in November 2004 following a long campaign by local residents to save the Lancashire County Council run home.

LCC subsequently sold the site for £790,000 in October 2006 to businessman Abdul KI Patel of Broughton.

For 40 years it had looked after hundreds of the area's needy elderly, and the move was strongly resisted through a vigorous campaign and 1,000 signature petition led by Kath Worden, whose father was a resident there.

The new care home will come at a cost of £2m, will provide room for 60 residents and employ a 50 full and part-time staff.

When the project is completed, the home will be operated by Leeds-based Orchard Care Homes Ltd who run a number of properties across the north of England, mainly in Yorkshire.

The company aleady oversees Haslingden Hall and Haslingden Lodge in East Lancashire.

A Orchard Care Homes spokesman said: "We intend to take over the home in the summer of 2008 when the development is completed.

"Building work is currently underway at the site and we are looking forward to taking over the new home."

The original Fell View care home had 36 bedrooms, seven lounges, four kitchens, seven bathrooms, and ten toilets.

Coun Jim White said that it was a shame that the previous home could not have been saved.

He added: "The old home came down because it wasn't meeting the legal requirements and it would cost too much to put it right.

"But the facilities are needed in the local area and unfortunately the county council wouldn't spend the money to keep it going.

"I haven't seen the final diagram of the new home yet so it is yet to be seen whether it fits in with the surrounding environment."