COUNCILLORS will decide on whether to give a major care facility in Otterbourne which could create 60 new jobs the green light.

Charity Brendoncare wants to build a new dementia care centre designed to give specialist nursing care, independent living and support to sufferers in the local community.

Eastleigh Borough councillors will consider the proposal for undeveloped grassland at the top of Otterbourne Hill, close to junction 12 of the M3.

The centre would provide residential and dementia nursing care for 64 people, along with five one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom supported apartments for dementia sufferers and their partners.

There would also be a Community Resource Hub for centre users and residents in the local area with clubs and activities to keep them active.

It can also provide planned and emergency respite care for residents.

The site, on the edge of Otterbourne and Allbrook, would be accessed through the Yellow Dot Nursery.

Alongside the two and three-storey facility are plans for a landscaped area of public open space between the centre and Pitmore Copse.

If it goes ahead two woodland areas could also now be accessed by the public managed by Allbrook Parish Council.

The site was previously approved for a dementia care scheme for 35 care units and a 20 bedroom nursing wing in 2012.

Brendoncare, which operates a number of care homes and facilities across the south, says this facility would replace its home at The Old Parsonage, Otterbourne.

This would eventually close and current residents there would move to the new care home when it is completed.

Its independent living apartments would be unaffected.

When consulted on the plans,Residents raised concerns about the height of the buildings and being overlooked, traffic and extra noise and light pollution.

However, others supported the scheme as good use of the land and were interested in using the community resource.

Brendoncare says, following the consultation, it has increased screening around the building and addressed other concerns.

It says the height is the same as the previously approved scheme, it does not anticipate it being noisy due to the nature of the scheme and shift patterns can be organised outside peak times to reduce traffic.

A council report, which recommends approval, says the need for such a facility and the community benefits of the scheme outweigh preference against rural development.

A spokesman for Brendoncare said: “Brendoncare’s proposed development at Otterbourne Hill will provide an innovative, unique and life-changing alternative for couples in Hampshire, as they face the challenges of dementia from early stages through to the end of life.”

Eastleigh Local Area Committee will decide on the plans in a meeting at Eastleigh House today at 7pm.