Pupils help celebrate the start of work on new Suffolk care home

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Mar 06, 2014

Pupils from Cedars Park Community Primary School in Stowmarket have helped mark the beginning of construction work on Care UK’s new care home and wellbeing centre in the town. The development is being built for Care UK by its construction partner Castleoak and will provide nursing and specialist dementia care for up to 70 residents. It is scheduled to open in spring 2015.

The separate wellbeing centre, which will open at the same time, will provide day care activities and clubs to help older people maintain their independence for longer in their own homes and give valuable respite services for family carers.

Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services at Suffolk County Council, Alan Murray, said: “Cedars Park is the eighth new care home and wellbeing centre to get underway as part of our agreement with Care UK. In 2012, we made a commitment to ensure Suffolk people were able to access care in high quality, purpose built facilities - this is exactly what is happening.”

“I look forward to this new facility becoming available for residents in and around the Stowmarket area.”

A new one-way access road off of Creeting Road East will be opened, which will have 12 new drop-off spaces for parents to use at the back entrance to the school as well as visitors parking for both of the new facilities.

The number of older people with dementia in Suffolk is set to double by 2020 and the new facilities are part of a county-wide plan with a £60 million investment by Care UK in ten new care homes and wellbeing centres. The Stowmarket development is the eighth to get underway and will help fulfil Suffolk County Council’s vision for older people’s care.

West Suffolk Regional Director at Care UK, Philip Steyn, said: “This is a very exciting stage in the Cedars Park care home development, as we celebrate the start of construction. The new home is a unique curved design on three floors and I very much look forward to it opening. Together with the new wellbeing centre we hope these new facilities will become a valuable part of the local community.”

Care UK received the green-light for the new development from Mid Suffolk District Council’s planning committee on 9^th October 2013. As well as providing nursing and specialist dementia care it will include attractive facilities such as a fully landscaped garden with sitting out areas, a café, a hairdressers and a small cinema. The generously sized bedrooms are all ensuite with shower facilities and, to give a homely feel, small groups of residents will share their own dining room and lounge. The design over three floors is spacious, light and airy, with many communal areas for residents to meet with family, friends and fellow residents.

Residents at Wade House on Violet Hill Road in Stowmarket will have the choice to move into the new Cedars Park home when it opens, after which the existing home, built in 1959, will close and the building will be returned to Suffolk County Council. Residents and their relatives are being closely consulted and kept fully informed about their choices.

The first three new homes (Asterbury Place in Ipswich, Mildenhall Lodge in Mildenhall and Davers Court in Bury St Edmunds) will open this summer, with two more (Britten Court, Lowestoft and Cleves Place, Haverhill) completing by the end of 2014.

For further information see www.careuk.com/suffolk-new-homes or call 0333 321 0956.