A 72-BEDROOM care home could be built at Rudheath, should plans to demolish a home and build on the site be approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The proposal includes the demolition of 162 Middlewich Road, near the Old Broken Cross, and the construction of the two-storey care home.

Plans suggest the home would be set back from the main road, with 24 parking spaces and four disabled parking spaces.

A planning statement said: “The proposed care home would be located over two floors providing 72 single occupancy, en suite bedrooms.

“To the ground floor, lounge space, dining room, hairdressers, offices, nurses’ stations, and a main reception area are proposed. To the first floor, lounge space and balcony, dining room, nurses’ stations, staff room, meeting room, kitchen and laundry room are proposed.

“The building will have a modern appearance, utilising a complementary pallet of materials in order to create visual breaks in the massing of the proposed building.”

Three previous planning applications for 16 new detached homes on the site were submitted in 2004 and 2005, but all were withdrawn.

The statement added: “Accommodation for older people presents a particular challenge for the borough as forecasts show the community is ageing significantly.

“The application proposals will provide a 72-bedroom care home, and would provide appropriate care and accommodation for older people, meeting one of the council’s priorities to provide suitable accommodation, meeting the anticipated needs of older and vulnerable people living in the borough.

“In addition to providing suitable accommodation for older people, the proposed development would directly result in the creation of employment opportunities for suitably qualified staff to support the proposed facility.

“There would also be a number of indirect economic benefits through construction of the proposals and other local businesses which would supply and support the facility.”