Plans for a new care village to be built in Lumphinnans were on public display this week at Lumphinnans Primary School. The proposal is to build a 60 bed care home that will offer permanent and respite care in 5 x 12 bedded self-contained units. There is also the potential to include intermediate care places and day care facilities well as drop in facilities, a lounge and dining facilities and 30 new affordable homes for older people.
Local MSP Alex Rowley joined with Fife Council leader David Ross and executive member for finance Linda Erskine to view the proposals and said the proposals were a very welcomed step forward in the provision of services to meet the needs of older people in the Cowdenbeath area.
Councillor Erskine said; “We inherited a position where the previous administration had tried to hive off the homes to private operators leaving the residents and staff with no answers to what future if any the council homes would have. We said we would replace the current homes keeping the provision within the public sector and these proposals do exactly that replacing Valley House in Cowdenbeath and Jenny Gray in Lochgelly with a new state of art care home and older peoples village all being supported by central facilities and services”.
A planning application is due to be submitted in May this year and the public consultation is part of that process with a site start expected in early 2015 and completion by early 2016.
David Ross added; “I am pleased with the progress that has been made in bringing these replacement proposals forward. We have put in place a team of professionals to drive the care homes replacement projects and now have detailed proposals for the replacement of six of our ten care homes. We believe in a mix of provision and that is why it was important to keep care provision within the public sector so there is a public private mix and this will set the highest standards whilst maintaining choice for the general public. It is also important that the new facilities are able to meet the growing and changing needs of a growing older population within Fife and this care village concept does exactly that”.
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Photo shows Alex Rowley, Linda Erskine and David Ross viewing the proposals at Lumphinnans School
