New residential care complex coming to Garstang

A care home in Garstang will be demolished to make way for a modern replacement within its own grounds - enabling existing residents to move straight across to the new facility.
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A separate "extra care" development designed to encourage older people to live independently will then be built on the vacated land.

The plans for the Bowgreave Rise home on Garstang Road were approved by Lancashire County Council's cabinet after the authority rethought a proposal to create only the latter scheme - and either offer current residents first pick of a place or find them a more suitable alternative elsewhere.

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Cabinet member for adult services, Graham Gooch, said it had become clear that most of those currently living at Bowgreave - several of whom have dementia - would not be suited to the self-contained supported accommodation that will be at the heart of the extra care development.

Bowgreave Rise opened in 1970 - and is now set to be replacedBowgreave Rise opened in 1970 - and is now set to be replaced
Bowgreave Rise opened in 1970 - and is now set to be replaced

Following a public consultation earlier this year in which half of respondents disagreed with the original plan, a newly-enlarged Bowgreave will now be created - with 48 beds compared to the current 32 - including places for those with advanced dementia.

The £5.5m replacement for the existing home - which has been open 50 years - will continue to be run by County Hall.

"The current building is poorly designed for its purpose and is not up to modern standards," said County Cllr Gooch.

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"It's a great credit to the staff that they provide such a brilliant service in these circumstances.

"The current staff will help with the design of the new home - pointing out from their great experience things that will work and things that won't."

Figures show that Wyre has the lowest proportion of beds available for people with dementia of any Lancashire's twelve districts - 26 per 1,000 over-65s. It also has the highest number of people in that age bracket anywhere in the county - more than 31,000 - and the highest prevalence of dementia at 2.59 percent.

The extra care scheme to be built on the site will be the latest such facility to be created within Lancashire, after the county council previously announced that it planned to ensure that at least one was established in each district. Similar developments are already operational in Chorley, Ormskirk and Whitworth - with others due to open in Preston and Fleetwood.

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A registered housing provider will be identified to develop the facility, at which point the exact design and scale of the building will be confirmed.

Extra care schemes provide residents with their own front door and the ability to come and go as they please - but with the security of 24-hour on-site support and access to pre-planned care packages.

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