PLANS have been submitted for a new care home in a Cheshire West town.

Morrison Community Care Group (MCCG) is looking to build a 72-bed care home on the land south of Chester Way, Northwich.

A design and access statement, submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council by Harris Irwin Architects on behalf of MCCG, says the development would not only benefit residents, but also the wider community.

It reads: “There is a national shortage of care facilities which is only expected to worsen over the next 15 years.

“This proposal provides an excellent location for a modern, high-quality care home that helps in reducing this shortfall.

“The proposed development will evidently bring about multiple benefits, in particular a high-quality development with attractive features for the locality and much-needed care facilities."

Visualisation of what the home could look like Visualisation of what the home could look like (Image: CWAC/Harris Irwin Architects)
Benefits include helping 'alleviate pressure' on the NHS and contributing toward the local authority’s target in regard to dementia support.

Construction of the project would create employment through the need for local workers and materials, while the care home itself would employ around 100 people.

It is believed that residents moving into the facility would have an improved quality of life and would likely leave behind larger homes in the area, freeing up accommodation for local families.

The statement adds: “The provision of much-needed care housing to meet the needs of older people is an important social benefit of the development proposal, and will also result in reduced isolation and loneliness which is a widespread concern for a large section of older people.

“The development proposal also includes an element of care which is likely to have wider benefits to local GPs and hospitals through a decrease in admissions.”

MCCG was founded in 1989 when Surjit Sokhi and Dr Caroline Sokhi purchased their first care home, Abbotsford House in Bearsden, Scotland.

Today, the company is considered one of the UK’s leading care home developers, having built and sold five homes with a further 12 projects ongoing.

If approved, the Northwich facility would be built on a currently vacant site in an existing residential area, just a stone’s throw from Northwich Railway Station.

Along with the home, secure cycle storage and a 27-space car park would be created, including three disabled bays and four electric vehicle charging spaces.

MCCG’s website states that a decision is expected to be made soon, with construction due to commence in quarter three of 2024, if given the green light.

To view the plans in more detail, search reference 24/01535/FUL on the council's online planning portal.