Pictured: Parklands MD Ron Taylor (left) and Howard Rogers, MD of Appledorn Developments. Picture by Trevor Martin.
The first phase of a new £10 million care hub for the Highland capital is underway.
Parklands Care Homes, which operates nine care homes across Moray and the Highlands, has begun preparatory work on the site of its tenth care facility at Milton of Leys in Inverness.
The new care home will offer 58 en-suite bedrooms, many of them with spectacular north facing views of the Moray Firth, several day/dining rooms, quiet lounges, an activity room, hairdresser and café.
Construction of the new care home is expected to begin in the New Year once the site is levelled.
The new care home, Parklands’ largest ever single investment and its first in Inverness, is expected to open in the summer of 2023, creating around 100 full time jobs in the care sector.
Appledorn Developments, which specialises in building high quality care homes, will act as the principle building contractor for the care home.
The construction project will also create employment opportunities for local sub-contractors.
Work on a second phase, a later living village comprising 11 two-bedroom bungalows for sale, will begin after construction of the care home is complete.
The later living village is intended to act as a bridge between independent living and the traditional care home model, with residents enjoying access to shared services and social activities with the care home, while leading otherwise independent lives.
Parklands, which is entirely family owned and headquartered in Grantown, recently secured £20 million in finance from Triodos Bank UK to support its existing operation and fund its expansion into Inverness.
Ron Taylor, Managing Director of Parklands Care Homes, said:
“We have been planning to expand into Inverness for some time and we’re delighted that we can now move forward with our exciting development plans.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Appledorn on the construction of our new care home.
“They are a company with an excellent reputation for delivering high quality care facilities.
“Not only does this represent a significant multi-million-pound investment by Parklands, it is also innovative and transformational, combining the traditional model of residential care with independent later living support.
“When it is fully complete, it will be the first integrated care hub of its kind in the Highlands.
“Our investment also represents a timely boost for the construction sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic and will create new employment opportunities for nursing and care professionals in Inverness.”
Parklands is a multi-award-winning care operator and was named Best Smaller Care Group in 2020.
It operates nine care homes in Tain, Fortrose, Muir of Ord, Grantown, Aberlour, Keith and Buckie, employing around 600 people.
