Parklands Care Homes has resumed work on a flagship care campus in Inverness with construction of an £11 million, 58-bed care home in Milton of Leys.

Construction of the care home was halted after the liquidation of the previous contractor.

Parklands has now appointed Inverness builder Capstone Construction to build the home which is expected to open in spring 2025.

The new care home will form part of an integrated care campus for the Highland capital that will also include a later living village, comprising 11 detached bungalows, designed to enable older people to live independent lives within a care home setting. New accommodation will also be built for care workers in response to the lack of affordable rental properties in the city.

Additional plans this year, which signal the biggest expansion in Parklands’ 30-year history, include expanded care provision at its Lynemore care home and modernising and upgrading Weston View in Keith and Wakefield House in Cullen in line with current Care Inspectorate guidelines.

Plans are also being drawn up for a new 40-bed care home in Elgin. Subject to planning consent, work could start towards the end of this year.

Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes, said: “Parklands is embarking on the most expansive phase in its 30-year history with a series of major investments that will reshape the landscape of social care in the region, create employment and stimulate local economies.

“I am especially pleased that work on our flagship Inverness care home is resuming, and I look forward to working with the team at Capstone. The new care home is just the start of our ambition for Inverness. Our new care campus will be the first of its kind in the Highlands and will introduce the new concept of later living, allowing older people to maintain their independence within a supportive care setting. Our plans to build new accommodation for care workers will also address the shortage of affordable rental properties in the city.

“But, our ambitions extend beyond Inverness. From Grantown to Elgin and Keith to Cullen, Parklands is committed to delivering the care capacity the region so desperately needs. The Highlands and Moray have a larger proportion of older people than Scotland as a whole, and further investment is needed to meet the growing demand for care services. 

“This is an ambitious agenda, but we believe we have the resources and the expertise to meet this need and bring these plans to fruition.”

Parklands currently operates 11 homes in Tain, Fortrose, Muir of Ord, Grantown, Aberlour, Keith, Buckie and Cullen. The group employs around 760 staff caring for almost 400 older people.