Delight as work begins on Â£7m care facility in Horndean

Care UK construction project manager Justin Daley, left, and Castleoak Care Partnerships quantity surveyor James Minchin Picture: Malcolm Wells

The purpose-built three-storey home, which is expected to welcome its first residents in autumn next year, will feature facilities including a cinema, hairdressing salon, activity room and cafe.

There will also be wheelchair-friendly landscaped gardens, which will provide a safe outdoor environment for relaxation and recreation.

The care home, in Portsmouth Road, will feature 72 en-suite bedrooms and will boost the amount of high-quality residential care, specialist dementia care, nursing, and short-term respite care in the village.

The additional care home was welcomed by Horndean councillor Sara Schillemore.

She said: ‘If there’s perceived to be a need, then it’s good.’

Speaking at a ceremony to start the project, Justin Daley, construction project manager, said: ‘We are delighted work has begun on the new care home in Horndean; not least because this impressive development reflects our commitment to improving the provision of residential care in the village.

‘At Care UK we take great pride in the build quality, layout and design of each individual home, as these factors can greatly impact the everyday experiences of those living in a care environment.

‘This new care home will live up to these standards, and will provide a quality home for older people from Horndean and beyond.’

James Minchin, managing quantity surveyor for Castleoak, added: ‘We were delighted to be selected as the design and construction partner for this new state-of-the-art care home and look forward to working together to create quality living space in the village of Horndean.’

It comes as building work continues at a pace in Horndean, with 700 homes in the pipeline for farmland east of Horndean and a flurry of new homes already built off Havant Road and at the former Gales brewery site.

Cllr Schillemore said: ‘Horndean is expanding quickly. There’s going to be about a 20 per cent increase in size with the land east of Horndean development, where there will be another care facility and some opportunity for independent living with support.’