Rossendale signs off 52-bed Ramsbottom care home
Millennium Care’s Porritt Care Village will include a 12-bed, male-only dementia unit and a bird-watching observatory.
Rossendale Council unanimously approved the Y-shaped block on Tuesday, despite its location on Green Belt. Designed by Alessandro Caruso Architects, the four-storey care home will sit next to Millennium Care’s other senior living facility, Lavender Hills Care Home in Ramsbottom.
The plans call for 48 ensuite bedrooms and four extra care residences across 35,900 sq ft. Communal facilities include a sports bar, music room, hairdressers, rooftop café, and intergenerational playground.
“The collaboration with Millennium Care has achieved a thoughtful integration of contemporary design with functional spaces which will not only enhance the residents’ quality of life but also foster a sense of community and belonging,” said Alessandra Caruso, founder of ACA.
“Moreover, the emphasis on sustainability and the use of eco-friendly materials will blend in with the natural context, she continued.
Access to the care home is via Stubbins Vale Road. There will be 34 car parking spaces, four of which will be reserved for those with disabilities and four will have access to EV chargers. There will also be one ambulance bay.
P&D Group was the planner for the scheme. Bob Woollard, director at P&D described getting planning permission as: “a huge milestone in the creation of this highly innovative model of dementia care and a significant step forward for care in Rossendale and the UK”.
He added: “The Millenium Care team has worked closely with the council and the local community to engage with them in the plans for the site.
“Despite significant planning challenges relating to the site’s location in the Green Belt, we were able to clearly demonstrate that the substantial public benefits that will be delivered, present the very special circumstances that led to a unanimous vote of approval from the planning committee.”
Millennium Care aims to start work next spring on the care home. The group regional manager, Stacey Astin, said: “Having previously been the Home Manager at Lavender Hills Care Home, and a local resident myself, I know how important this development will be for the Rossendale community.
“Millennium Care will now be able to offer peace of mind to current and future residents and their families in an amazing setting while supporting the local community through various opportunities.”
The project team includes ADS Structural, ARB Consulting, Sensible Ecological Survey Solutions, Wessex Archaeology, CSA Environmental, Focus Transport Planning, and Indigo.
You can learn more about the application by searching reference number 2024/0174 on Rossendale Council’s planning portal.
