Outline plans have been submitted for the construction of a Continuing Care retirement facility in the Ribble Valley.
Elker Developments Ltd wants to build the home on land they already own to the northwest of Billington, currently consisting of open fields.
The company says the Continuing Care Retirement Community concept is quite new to the UK and is “very different” from conventional care with accommodation.
It offers a combination of independence and security of lifestyle within a “socially active and supportive community” so older people with a range of abilities and disabilities are able to continue living in their own space.
A Community generally includes a nursing care unit that can provide end of life care close to home and more intense episodes of care and rehabilitation for those who need it.
This could include short-term health and social care, treatment and support, specialist respite care, rehabilitation and intermediate care to enable early discharge, and to prevent acute hospital admission and palliative care.
The statement adds that the accommodation, for anyone over 55 and anyone with disabilities or other health problems, provides flexible and responsive care which cannot be found at traditional care homes where people may experience separation from family and a loss of autonomy.
The proposed community will have four main types of accommodation to suit varying levels of need: care bedrooms, close care units service by an on-site care, linked assisted living serviced by an on-site care agency, and assisted living units, all registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
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The statement continued: “Apart from the dedicated nursing care unit for those in need of 24 hour care, the site will provide individual units that will be provided as close care units or assisted living units.
“These are self-contained and linked to packages of care provision, which varies in amount depending on the needs of the occupier. They offer an amount of independent living and privacy than would be available in a more traditional care bedroom in a home.”
A further statement said the aims for the site are to create a “pleasant living environment” where “a choice of independent living with assisted care provision can be made.”
“It is also to keep people in their homes as care needs change with age so that residents can still thrive socially, making use of the social facilities on site, maintain as much independence as possible, and at the same time receive the services they need,” it added.
The application is made in outline at this stage so detailed plans for the building have not been prepared at this stage.
However, the developers said it is important the building has some connection with local character.
To view the plans in full, visit Ribble Valley Council’s planning website.
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