A COLLABORATION between York architects and planning consultants has been given the go-ahead to develop a new residential care home in the city.

York based architecture and building surveying practice wrdunn., and planning consultants O’Neill Associates, have been working on the Fordlands Road scheme on behalf of client, Octopus Healthcare Developments.

Located in the Fulford area, the modern residential care home for the elderly received unanimous approval from City of York Council’s planning committee earlier this month.

Situated on a brownfield site, the former local authority care home has been closed for five years with the building no longer fit for purpose.

Lyth Watson, director of development at Octopus Healthcare said: “We are delighted with the decision from the council and look to working with the community to develop a high-quality care facility that will meet the significant shortfall of care places in York, provide new jobs for the locality and also breathe new life into a long-term vacant site.”

The Fordlands Scheme will deliver care in a purpose designed building, with features included for those living with dementia. The scheme was commended by three of the planning committee members, with each individual commenting on the quality of the design and the significant improvement it will bring to the local area.

Martin Smith, director of architecture at wrdunn. said: “This is an outstanding result for York and its vital need for more care facilities in the city.

“The Fordlands scheme that we put forward, on behalf of our client Octopus Healthcare, will diversify the type of care accommodation in the local area, providing a mix of independent and private rooms for those in need of care.

“We very much welcome the council’s unanimous decision to approve this scheme and look forward to working with Octopus on the next chapter of the site’s development.”

The scheme will now progress quickly towards construction, with Barchester Care in line to operate the home once built. The home is expected to open summer 2019.

Octopus Healthcare, part of the Octopus Group, is a national healthcare property investor, developer and manager of healthcare properties.

It currently manages more than £1.2 billion of healthcare investments around the country across a number of platforms, with a focus on five core areas: GP surgeries, care homes, retirement housing, specialist education schools and private hospitals.