Details of a new £15.7m care and support hub that would provide specialist accommodation and rehabilitation for up to 60 residents in Harrogate have been published.
North Yorkshire Council is seeking permission to build the three-storey facility on a vacant site off Ainsty Road, close to Harrogate High School and St Robert’s Catholic Primary School.
A planning application for the development has been submitted to the authority’s planning department.
North Yorkshire Council says growing pressure on adult social care services has highlighted the need for more specialist care and rehabilitation provision across the county.
The authority, like many councils across the country, is facing rising care costs, increasing demand for specialist services and ongoing challenges linked to the sustainability and quality of existing care accommodation.
Supporting documents add:
“In response, the council is progressing a programme to replace outdated elderly persons homes with modern care and support hubs (CSHs).
“These facilities are intended to provide high-quality, flexible, and integrated care within purpose-built environments. Align Property Services has been commissioned to design a new 60-bed care and support hub in Harrogate as part of this programme.”
The scheme, known as the Harrogate Care Hub, would offer care designed to help people regain independence while also providing long-term support for those living with dementia.
The building would contain 60 bedrooms, split equally between three types of care: 20 dementia care places, 20 intermediate care beds and 20 short-term stay beds.
Dementia residents would live permanently at the hub, while those receiving short-term or intermediate care would typically stay for a number of weeks before returning home.
Dedicated therapy spaces would be included within the building to support rehabilitation and recovery, helping residents regain confidence and independence following illness, injury or hospital treatment.
The hub would have a total floor area of more than 3,700 square metres and has been designed to allow care provision to adapt over time as demand changes.
The council says the layout would enable parts of the building to be reconfigured between dementia and intermediate care without major structural alterations.
Ground-floor dementia accommodation would provide direct access to outdoor spaces, while two passenger lifts would connect all three floors. Residents would also have access to communal lounges, gardens, activity areas and covered outdoor seating.
A total of 51 parking spaces are proposed, including dedicated visitor, staff, accessible and ambulance bays. Secure cycle storage and staff changing facilities would also be provided to encourage sustainable travel.
The council says the brownfield site was chosen because of its proximity to local services and public transport links, with shops, medical facilities and bus services all within walking distance.
The scheme would incorporate air source heat pumps and roof-mounted solar panels capable of generating up to 108,000kWh of electricity annually, helping to reduce both carbon emissions and running costs.
North Yorkshire Council is aiming to build five care and support hubs in total, with plans being drawn up for one in Eastfield, near Scarborough.
Further hubs will be built in the Selby, Hambleton and Craven areas.
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