COUNCILLORS will be recommended to approve a planning bid for a 60-bed £19m dementia-friendly "care village" when they meet next week.
The Tweedbank Care Village at Tweedbank Drive on the Lowood Estate would replace the Waverley and Garden View homes once it is completed.
Plans were developed after council representatives visited a similar village in the Netherlands.
The system favours a move away from institutionalised care by creating a “neighbourhood that is part of broader society”.
The development would incorporate two residential blocks that would accommodate four flats over two floors, each with six en-suite bedrooms and living/dining/kitchen areas.
There would be an amenity block with café/restaurant/kitchen, shop and resident facilities, including a gym, hairdressers and laundry, staff facilities at ground floor level and two six-bed flats at first floor level.
The plans also include an energy centre (housing air source heat pumps, plant and a substation) and a bike and bin store.
The buildings will be set within an external environment which provides residents with space for socialising, exercise and connection with nature to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.
When members of the council’s Planning and Building Standards Committee meet on Monday, February 3, they will be recommended to approve the application.
However, there are a number of outstanding matters, including design, landscaping, local biodiversity and roads that require further consideration by officers to ensure that the proposals deliver a high quality development that respects the environment and the historic landscape setting of Lowood Estate.
A report to the committee says: “The proposal is for three, large-scale, two-story buildings, which would provide accommodation (60 beds) and supporting services for residents.
“These would be arranged around a landscaped courtyard with the pond as a focal point.
“The placement of the three residential blocks appears to follow a coherent plan, with views over the pond and with the landscaping and the spaces between buildings contributing positively to the setting.”
