LEADING Northamptonshire contractor Kori Construction has been appointed to build a £17.5m care home at South Oxhey by Hertfordshire County Council.

The three-storey care home has been sensitively designed to ensure it is appropriate to its settings, while at the same time providing modern amenities to meet the functional needs of residents.

Once completed, it will include 75 bedrooms, communal spaces, external courtyards and communal spaces, a café, and other high quality amenities.

Work on site has already got underway with bulk earthworks, sheet piling, and creating the road infrastructure to access the site, and construction work is set to follow as soon as this is completed.

Jordan Connachie, Managing Director of Corby-based Kori Construction, said:

“We’re delighted to have been appointed to this development, which will provide much needed care services in this popular area of Hertfordshire.

“The care home will be set very close to nature, providing a beautiful and tranquil space for residents to enjoy.

“We’re looking forward to getting started on the main build and delivering a first class care facility.”

The care home is being built on the former Little Furze primary school site in South Oxhey.

The school closed in 2004 when it was determined there was an excess of school places in South Oxhey and ongoing projections could not justify keeping it open.

The 3.61ha site will also include 34 parking spaces, 16 staff and visitor covered cycle spaces, and landscaping and economical enhancements.

The development also sits alongside Oxhey Woods Local Nature Reserve, meaning residents will benefit from beautiful, natural surroundings including mature native trees and rich wildlife right on their doorstep.

Mr Connachie added that it was designed to minimise carbon emissions during construction phase and over the lifetime of the building.

He said:

“The design of the building reflects the contemporary style similar to other recent precedents in the area such as the South Oxhey Regeneration Scheme, and the flat roof facilitates the use of a green roof to fit in with the woodland surroundings, and the installation of solar photovoltaic cells to produce renewable energy.

“Sustainability is at the heart of all of our developments, and Little Furze is certainly no exception.”

The care home is forecast to be completed by February 2024.