Cornwall seeks builders for £172m care home developments

Cornwall Council is seeking to redevelop two care home sites that are currently “not fit for purpose”.

The council is inviting expressions of interest in a contract worth up to £172m to operate and redevelop two nursing homes.

Trengrouse in Helston is currently closed, while Trefula near Redruth is partially open. The council says that both the homes “[do] not meet modern standards or customer expectations and [are] not fit for purpose in the medium to long term”.

The council is carrying out market engagement for a contract with an estimated value of between £110m and £172m.

The redevelopment work will include financing and funding, design, obtaining planning permission, any demolition required and construction.

The new homes must be able to meet the nursing needs of people with moderate to severe dementia.

The work could include developing other care provision – such as supported living for people with learning disabilities – or accommodation for care staff. The developer can “be creative with the surplus land” as long as the proposals meet the council’s strategic priorities, procurement documents say.

The sites will be transferred to the provider either as a freehold sale at market value or under a long-term lease.

The contract will also include managing the care services before and after new homes are built.

The council approved the redevelopment of the two sites at a cabinet meeting in March. It would prefer to appoint one provider to operate and redevelop both the homes, but it will consider appointing a different provider for each if necessary.

The contract notice says the council is “working to ensure that the available care home capacity meets the current and future demand for services”.

It explains that “to date care homes have not been developed at the pace required to meet the increasing needs of the Cornish population”, adding “there is a significant gap emerging between need and the availability of supply, particularly for people living with dementia”.

The number of adults over the age of 65 in the county is predicted to rise by 25 per cent by 2030. Over the same period it is expected there will be a 31 per cent increase in people living with dementia.