CONSTRUCTION of a multi-million pound care home in Otterbourne which will enable people living with dementia to stay with their partners is underway.

Brendoncare’s £11.6 million care home on Otterbourne Hill reached a new milestone with the arrival of a 25-metre tower crane on site.

The state-of-the-art facility will provide a two and three-storey, 64-bed bespoke home for people needing nursing, dementia care or respite care.

The pioneering scheme will also offer 20 one and two-bedroom Shared Care supported living apartments that will enable people living with dementia to stay with their partners while receiving full care and support.

The crane, which can lift up to 2.5 tonnes, is now being used by Poole-based construction company Stepnell to distribute bricks, mortar and other heavy construction materials across the site as the building goes up.

Due for completion in summer 2018, Brendoncare Otterbourne Hill will also have a community resource hub with a restaurant, café, hairdresser and an indoor winter garden – a two-storey, glazed communal space.

“This scheme has a large building footprint as well as site constraints including tree protection areas and major levels differences, which makes this single tower crane ideal for lifting and distributing buildings materials quickly and safely across the site,” said Rob Speirs, Stepnell director.

“The project is progressing well and the structure of the building is really starting to take shape. The next big job for the crane will be the installation of its roof of the building at the end of the summer.”

Carole Sawyers, chief executive of Brendoncare, said: “We are delighted with progress on the site and it is exciting to see the plans being turned into reality.

“We are looking forward to the next stage of construction when the roof is in place, as it means we are moving closer to the day when we will be able to support people with dementia and nursing needs on the site.”