Barchester Healthcare submits Calcot care home plans to West Berkshire Council

Plans for a new care home to be built on the western edge of Calcot by the A4 have been submitted to West Berkshire Council.

Submitted by Barchester Healthcare Ltd, the two-storey, 70-bed facility hopes to provide “high quality living accommodation and care for elderly and frail residents”.

In partnership with W Cumber & Son (Theale) Ltd, the healthcare company has also submitted plans for nine residential dwellings to be built just east of the proposed care home site.

The 2.5-acre proposed site location is a patch of land adjacent to the junction between the A4 Bath Road and Dorking Way.

The development’s design and access statement reads: “We believe that a low impact use such as a care home is the perfect way to foster the development of the site in a manner which will actually enhance its character and provide in the region of 70 full-time equivalent jobs.

“It is clear that the council recognises the importance of the roles played by residential homes in meeting the special housing needs of the community and we feel this site is ideally located to link with transport networks for visitors, residents and employees.

“The proposals sit particularly well with the site constraints and the palette of material has been chosen to fit in with the character of the local area and yet demonstrate the high-quality facility which is in operation.

“The proposed care home would bring many economic and social benefits to the local community and help to showcase the further investment which is ongoing in the area.”

Barchester Healthcare is one of the biggest independent care providers in the UK, which employs 17,000 staff and supports more than 11,000 people in more than 239 care homes.