Go-Ahead For Plan To Turn Hospital Into Care Village

PLANS to transform a former Liskeard hospital into a care village for older people have been given the green light.

Planning permission for the 55 unit scheme at the former Passmore Edwards Hospital has been granted, and preliminary work will start in the next couple of months.

Caradon District Council has spent the past two years working on the plans for the extra-care village in partnership with Sarsen Housing Association, Cornwall County Council and the Primary Care Trust.

The facility will be the first purpose-built extra-care scheme in Cornwall.

Construction, retaining the old cottage hospital building, will begin in late September or early October.

The extra care village is expected to be up and running by mid summer 2010, and will enable older people to carry on living as independently as possible with the security of having their care and support needs looked after by trained and qualified staff.

Sarsen Housing Association is due to take over the development phase of the project, having managed the building of six similar facilities across the South West.