Plans to replace a home for older people with purpose-built modern 'extra care' apartments have been agreed by Derbyshire County Council.

The county council's Cabinet agreed to the proposal to close The Dales home for older people in Fisher Close, Repton, and replace it with approximately 50 one and two-bedroomed apartments for older people with communal facilities on the same site.

The new development would be subject to planning permission being granted for the site and an application will be submitted to South Derbyshire District Council at a later date.

The decision made at today's Cabinet meeting (Tuesday 16 October) follows a 12-week consultation held earlier this year where residents, relatives, staff, local people and other interested parties had the opportunity to give their views on the plan.

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The Dales, a 22-bed home, will close within six months and residents will be helped to move to alternative care.

Residents, relatives and staff will be told about the Cabinet's decision today where possible and council staff will now set up meetings to start discussing the future with them.

Full assessments of all the residents' needs will be carried out and support will be given to them and their families to make their moves as smooth as possible.

One of the options available to long-term residents at The Dales is a move to the county council's new development for older people in Swadlincote − Oakland Village − a specialist community care centre and extra care housing scheme which is due to open shortly.

Meetings with staff will be held with the aim of re-deploying them where possible.

The plan to replace The Dales with an extra care housing scheme is part of the county council's wider £200 million investment plans to transform residential and community care services across Derbyshire, delivering dementia-friendly care and modern, purpose-built accommodation to older people.

Derbyshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Care Councillor Charles Jones said: "The decision by Cabinet to replace The Dales with extra care apartments forms an important part of our wider plans to transform residential and community care services for older people across Derbyshire.

"The £200 million investment plans will deliver dementia-friendly care and modern, purpose-built accommodation to older people and increase the choices we can offer them in the future."

(CD)