Robertson Yorkshire & East Midlands to deliver Belper Care Home

Robertson Yorkshire & East Midlands has been chosen by Derbyshire County Council to carry out the first phase of work on a new £19m 40-bed care home and library in Belper, with work expected to begin this month.

Work on the first phase of the home, to replace Ada Belfield Home for Older People on the former Thornton's factory site, is now expected to begin this month.

The state-of-the-art building on Derwent Street will also include a long-awaited new library and a pedestrian link to town centre shops. It will replace the residential care home on Field Lane which no longer meets modern standards.

As reported on the Derbyshire County Council website – more than £850,000 needs to be spent on maintaining and refurbishing the existing building. All the current residents of Ada Belfield will be offered a home in the new development which is expected to be completed by summer 2019.

Councillor Jean Wharmby, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, said: "I am delighted that work will now start on this development.

"The quality of care offered by the dedicated team at Ada Belfield was never in doubt but the building itself does not meet standards provided in other council-run homes and care centres and the cost for maintenance and refurbishment would be around £850,000.

"This new state-of-the-art building will be a great addition to the town and, by retaining some parts of the old factory frontage, it means it will also retain some of the town's heritage."

As the development sits within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, the building has been designed to reflect this.

The facade of the Castle blouse and hosiery factory, which later became Thornton's, and the Empire Music Hall, the oldest building on the site, are both being retained to form the new library, so the original architecture can be enjoyed by residents and visitors.

Derbyshire County Council launched an eight-week consultation to give local people, residents, their families and staff the opportunity to have their say on the plans. Two meetings were held at Ada Belfield where 40 people attended and had the chance to give their views to our staff in person.

Councillor Wharmby added: "We received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions from our residents who were fully involved throughout this process.

"All our residents will be given the option to move to the new development and will be well supported by staff to ensure this goes smoothly."

Demolition contractors moved in last year to clear the site ahead of the new development.