Officers Report - Herefordshire Council“The proposal would make a significant contribution towards addressing the need…..The NPPF and the PPG recognise the importance of providing a diverse range of housing to meet the needs of older people. It is therefore considered that the provision of a 80 bedroom care home is a benefit that can be attributed significant weight.”
Outline planning permission has been granted for a new, purpose-built 80-bed care home on the outskirts of Hereford.
The development will help address the significant shortfall in specialist care accommodation across the county, offering high-quality facilities and a modern environment designed specifically for the needs of older residents.
The two-storey care home will be surrounded by landscaped communal gardens, designed to promote active lifestyles, relaxation, and wellbeing. A wide range of high-quality facilities designed to enhance residents’ comfort, wellbeing, and daily experience include a variety of day spaces such as a cinema and library, a hair and nail salon, and spacious en suite bedrooms—some of which on the ground floor will provide direct access to secure, landscaped gardens. Ancillary areas such as staff facilities, offices, centrally located nurse stations, and treatment rooms will support efficient, high-quality care.
Hereford, the cathedral city at the heart of the county, has a growing elderly population. The local demographic trends reflect a sharp rise in those aged 85 and over, alongside increasing prevalence of dementia and a large number of older people living alone or in poor health. With many of the county’s care homes in older, repurposed buildings—often small in scale—there is an urgent need for modern facilities that can provide high-quality care at the scale needed. The application was supported by a HPC Care Home Need Assessment clearly illustrating the level of outstanding need.
This project is a key step in meeting both local and national objectives for elderly care, and it underscores the value of strategic, sustainable development in areas of acute need.
Detailed planning consent was granted 14th April 2025.
