Care home proposed for Toryglen as £74m spend is approved

TORYGLEN looks set to be the site of a new care home as part of a multi million pound project being promoted by Glasgow City Council.

Proposals to invest £73.8 million in five new care homes in Glasgow have been approved by the City Council’s Executive Committee.

The plans will see high quality accommodation for 600 older people built across the city over the next four years.

Each care home will be made up of eight smaller, 15-bedded semi-independent units to create the feeling of a domestic environment for residents.

Four new day care centres are also planned which offer a total 120 spaces for day care on a daily basis.

Originally a care home was planned for Langside, however following a revision by the council it was decided that the greenspace site on Prospecthill Road would be more suitable.

It is expected the first care home will be finished in 2013 with the entire project to be completed by 2015.

Councillor Matt Kerr, Executive Member for Social Care, said: “We looked at number of sites in the south east of city and Toryglen West was always regarded as the preferred option across a wide range of criteria.

“It is well placed within the south-east of Glasgow, is close to local amenities, would provide more than ample space for the care home and would carry no additional costs for demolition or ground preparation.

“However, when the overall care home proposal was brought forward earlier this year, the Toryglen site simply wasn’t available for the social work department.

“The land had originally been earmarked for commercial or industrial use, but following discussions with Clyde Gateway, we have established that it can now be used for a care home development.

“We are extremely pleased that all the pieces have fallen into place and be able to bring forward detailed plans in the near future.

“We are, of course, hopeful that the local residents will get fully behind this proposal.

“Not only will use be found for a substantial gap site but it will also see top quality care accommodation for vulnerable older people from the south east of Glasgow being built in their own community.”

The land was previously owned by Clyde Gateway who had originally intended to use the site for other ventures.

A spokesperson for Clyde Gateway said: “At this particular site residential and commercial opportunities were being explored as there was quite a good market so we were talking to house developers and thought that it could have been suitable for flats or the expansion of commercial properties already on the site

“We were quite keen to hang on to the site.

“However, things have moved on and those options aren’t really open at the moment with the state of the market.

“Our view is, rather that the site lying vacant and derelict, something we’re trying to avoid elsewhere in the Clyde Gateway area, it makes sense to have the care home move in as we are sure it will become a welcome investment.”