A NEW multi-million-pound 65-bed care home aims to bring Carterton’s facilities for the elderly into the 21st century.

A planning application has been submitted by Robert & Doris Watts Healthcare Ltd for the three-storey building in Milestone Road.

The development will cost between £3m and £4m and will replace the company’s care homes in Black Bourton Road and Milestone Road.

The Black Bourton site has been sold to superstore Morrisons and the Milestone site will be sold for residential use.

Robert & Doris Watts chairman Anthony Henry-Lyons said: “The new building will be a 21st century solution to the care home operation.

“It will enable us to be more family friendly, more efficient and allow the operation to run more smoothly.”

He said bringing the two care homes under one roof would allow for this to happen.

The building, which would have a 4,165sq m footprint, would be clad in Cotswold stone and render and feature solar panels on the roof.

Mr Henry-Lyons said: “I went to the care home this morning and the staff are inordinately excited about operating in a brand new facility.

“Some of the residents are very keen and are excited.”

He said the company had originally hoped to redevelop the Black Bourton Road site but this plan had been scrapped after West Oxfordshire District Council earmarked it for a new superstore.

Mr Henry-Lyons said the company hoped to receive planning permission by February and would start work on the building immediately.

He said the Black Bourton Road site had to be vacated by the end of the year and the new building would be completed by then.

But this application is just the first stage of the development. He said: “It is our intention to add to the number of additional facilities once the care home is built and operational.”

Robert & Doris Watts and its architect have been in discussion with district council planning officers about the plans for some eight months.

The company held a public meeting on November 24 to discuss the proposals with residents and get feedback.

West Oxfordshire District Council will decide on the plans on a date yet to be set.