Ann's Care Homes has submitted a planning application for a £7 million (€8.2 million) purpose-built nursing and step-down care facility at Lisnisky Lane, Craigavon, located immediately adjacent to Craigavon Area Hospital, as reported by Armagh I. The development is expected to support approximately 40 construction jobs during the build phase, with around 100 permanent roles created on completion.

The proposed facility would provide 69 care beds across a two-acre site, arranged across four individual care units on two floors. All accommodation is designed as spacious single-occupancy en-suite bedrooms, with dedicated communal lounges, dining areas, quiet rooms and visitor facilities forming part of the scheme.

The facility has been designed to accommodate a range of care needs, including general nursing care, dementia nursing, mental health nursing, learning disability support and physical disability care. Specialist spaces include a multi-disciplinary meeting room, activity and training areas, and accessible accommodation for residents with physical disabilities. The plans also include extensive landscaping, tree planting and on-site parking.

Michael McQuade, director of Ann's Care Homes, said: "Across Northern Ireland, hospitals continue to face significant pressure, with patients often remaining in acute hospital beds because appropriate step-down or nursing care placements are unavailable. This development has been specifically designed to help address that challenge. By providing 69 modern, purpose-built care beds adjacent to Craigavon Area Hospital, we can support the timely discharge of patients who are medically fit to leave hospital, while ensuring they continue to receive high-quality care in the most appropriate setting."

Sinead McAvoy, technical director of Tom Stokes Planning, said the site's location immediately adjacent to Craigavon Area Hospital made it particularly well suited to supporting the health and social care system, and that the scheme had been carefully designed to provide a high-quality care environment that integrates sensitively with its surroundings.

Established in 1994, Ann's Care Homes has grown to become one of the largest independent care providers on the island of Ireland, employing more than 3,000 staff across Northern Ireland and the Republic. Through its care home division, the company operates 25 care homes in Northern Ireland, providing more than 1,260 care beds and employing approximately 2,000 staff.

Get the full planning details and development overview at the original source.