'Impressive' progress made on new care home for Royal Navy veterans in Portsmouth

Proposals for the state-of-the-art three-storey development in Milton, which will be run by charity the Royal Navy Benevolent Trust, were first unveiled in September 2019.

But the coronavirus pandemic hampered efforts to construct the new 66-bed home for naval heroes on the St James’ Hospital site, in Locksway Road, with construction finally beginning in January of this year.

Now, leaders behind the project have finally unveiled the progress made to build the site and have insisted it will be up and running in less than a year.

A spokeswoman from the Royal Navy Benevolent Trust said: ‘Work started on building Admiral Jellicoe House, the state-of-the–art care home for naval veterans in Portsmouth, back in the dark days of January in the midst of the national lockdown.

‘Despite this inauspicious start, progress with the building work has been impressive, and the building is starting to emerge.’

Known as Admiral Jellicoe House – named after the founder of the Royal Naval Benevolent Fund, the new facility is being funded by the charity and built by LNT Care Developments Ltd.

Initially it had been hoped the care home would be up and running by early 2021, with work having originally been earmarked to start in December 2019.

But the fallout of the pandemic had led to a backlog in the number of planning applications officials at Portsmouth City Council were able to deal with.

Now the foundations of the building have been completed and work is turning towards constructing the main areas of the home.

Captain Nick Fletcher, chairman of trustees, said: ‘We are really happy with progress, and it’s great to see the building starting to emerge.

‘Admiral Jellicoe House will be a care home of superb quality that will further increase our support for naval veterans in Portsmouth by meeting the residential care needs of those who have served their country in peace and war.’

The care home is ‘on track’ to open in spring 2022, Capt Fletcher said.

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