Leadbitter Group to build Surrey care home

The Leadbitter Group is to build a new £1.3 million care home for people with learning disabilities in Grayshott, Surrey.

The new facility will be built on the site of the Donec care home, which was first established by Elizabeth FitzRoy in 1962.

The three new purpose-built homes will offer a more personalised service than the original home, with smaller dedicated staff teams. All areas of the homes will be accessible for wheelchair users, with a lift in the central shared lobby. Residents will be able to choose who they live with and join in everyday activities around their own homes, giving them far more choice and independence on a daily basis.

The original home, which supports 14 people with learning disabilities, is now unsuitable for the residents, whose needs have changed as they have grown older. There are steep staircases and narrow corridors with bedrooms spread over three floors. The shared lounge and dining room allow for little privacy or quiet space, and there are limited opportunities to learn independent living skills in such a cramped and busy environment. It is particularly unsuitable for those with mobility issues.

Architects for the scheme are Miller Hughes Associates; with quantity surveying by Grant Associates, structural engineering by Archibald Shaw and service engineering by ITD Consultants.

David Cook, regional director of Leadbitter’s Southern Housing and Construction Division, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the construction of this fantastic new facility. We have a great deal of experience in the care home field, and it gives us great pleasure to be able to deliver a home that will meet all of the residents’ requirements and allow them to live life to the full. We are very proud to be involved in this project.”

Work is due for completion in late spring next year.