Four new care homes for older people are to be built in Neath Port Talbot after proposals were agreed by Cabinet on June 9.
At the meeting Cabinet members approved a proposal which will see the transfer of existing council run homes to a partner provider, who will work with the Council to build four new homes in the county borough. The new provider will run the homes together with Danybryn in Pontardawe.
The current homes will continue to function as usual until the new buildings are completed in 3 to five years time. Once the new homes are ready, all existing residents and staff will move together.
The decision comes after three months of consultation with residents of existing Council care homes, their relatives, residential care staff, trades unions and the wider communities of Neath Port Talbot.
Council Leader Ali Thomas said: “This is a landmark project for Neath Port Talbot and the first time that we have been in a position to instigate the building of new care homes in almost 20 years.
“In addition to delivering improved residential care services, which are fit for the older generation of today and for generations to come, we believe that this project will aid regeneration in the county borough by securing front line services, reviving derelict sites and providing work for our local building trade.”
The report to Cabinet also outlined preferred sites for the new homes in Neath, Port Talbot, the Vale of Neath and the Afan Valley. These are Green Park in Port Talbot, off Grove Road in Cimla, on land near McDonalds in Glynneath and at Rhiw Lech in Croeserw.
The next steps in taking the project forward will involve two major pieces of work. The Director of Social Services, Health and Housing will assign a procurement advisor to manage the process of identifying a suitable partner The chosen partner will be one which shares the Council’s values and whose core principles serve the interests of the residents of Neath Port Talbot in providing appropriate, sustainable and cost effective Residential Care.
At the same time, the Director for the Environment will undertake detailed feasibility studies into the four preferred sites in order to establish whether they are suitable.
