A developer has lodged a planning application with the council for the erection of a 70 plus bed care home facility in Durham City.

Torison Care Ltd, a business which creates "modern care homes, assisted living, and extra care facilities of the future", last week lodged plans with Durham County Council for the construction of a large care home off South Road (A177). 

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The 74-bed facility, if plans are approved, is to be located on the land south of Durham University's recently built South College, and newbuild housing estate The Drive. 

In addition to the 74 beds, the facility will be equipped with an access road, car parking, cycle storage, landscaping, boundary treatments, and refuse facilities. 

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The Northern Echo: The land south of South College, Durham.

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Developers argue that this would provide much-needed care in Durham for the local community, lessening the load on existing care facilities, as well as making use of an underutilised site. 

Currently, the planning application is in the consultation stage, with local neighbours able to get in touch with the planning committee with comments and concerns about the plans. 

The proposed building will span four storeys, with a lower ground floor set into the site's gradient. As the lower ground floor will be set into the hill, from both the north and the roadside, the building will only look as though it is three storeys.