WORK has officially begun on the construction of a 66-bed carehome in Newbury on the former site of the Lime’s Guest House.

Located on London Road, the appropriateness of the redevelopment has been called into question on a number of occasions from nearby residents who had concerns about traffic increases for staff and guests accessing the home, with Fir Tree Primary School nearby.

Some residents considered the new home to be a “gross overdevelopment” while issues of odour from bin stores and access for emergency vehicles to the site were also put forward.

However, West Berkshire Council have the project the go-ahead in January and the first shovel-load of soil was dug from the site last Wednesday.

Run by national firm Gracewell Healthcare, the home will provide care for people living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

There will be a nurse’s station on each floor and each room will have en-suite bathroom facilities.

The project is expected to cost more than £9million to complete, with communal areas to include a library, dining hall, lounge and nail bar.

Chief executive of Gracewell Healthcare, Peter Curtis, said: “We are creating a new type of care home, one that mixes luxury interiors and surroundings with the highest levels of care focused on kindness, integrity, trust, empathy and respect.

“We look forward to welcoming the people of Newbury into our new home and helping them to care for their loved ones in their old age.

“Our vision is to create homes designed around our residents and their needs at the heart of the community. We provide truly personalised care that focuses on the tiny details of people’s lives – we believe that’s what creates a real sense of home.”

Plans to redevelop the site have been in the pipeline since early 2013 with numerous plans brought to the fore, including for a 71-bedroom application by Ascot Design which was then scaled back to a 64-bedroom application.

Gracewell Healthcare already runs 11 care homes nationally, and plans to be operating up to a further 20 across the South East, South West and Midlands by 2017.

Information provided by Gracewell Healthcare initially stated that the home was to provide 72-bedrooms. It has since been stated that 66-bedrooms will be provided at the site. Gracewell Healthcare has apologised for any confusion caused to readers following an error in their original press release.