A ground-breaking ceremony has been held at the site of a new care/nursing home being built by Clegg Construction as part of a £10.9m contract.
Initial works have started on site at the former St Laurence School, Wormley, Hertfordshire and the 77-bed care home is due to be completed in the summer of 2021 for Hertfordshire County Council.
The home will be built over two storeys and includes the provision of facilities to be used by residents, external parties and community groups. It will also be dementia friendly throughout and will be operated by Gold Care.
The existing primary school on site has been demolished and alongside the home, 13 dwellings will also be built as part of a residential development.
The home will be of traditional build, mainly brick and block work with some structural steel work to the front central area. It will comprise a series of units around an enclosed court connected to a curved frontage containing public and administration facilities.
The scheme will work towards BIM Level 2 and also includes associated works to BREEAM Excellent standard.
Richard Roberts, Executive Member for Adult Care and Health at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “There is a shortage of nursing homes both nationally and in the local area and so we anticipate this development with its modern facilities, spacious living accommodation and courtyard design will bridge the gap between supply and demand. The comfort and wellbeing of the future residents is key, so we are very pleased to have been able to purpose design and build a nursing home to provide affordable good quality care.”
Rachel Johns is Head of Business Development at Clegg Construction, which has its main headquarters in Nottingham with offices in Cambridge and Leeds.
She said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this significant project in the care sector where we already have an excellent track record. This is the first substantial project to start on site in the Eastern region, we are excited to build our reputation and presence in the region starting with this fantastic project.”