Parklands Care Homes has announced plans for a major, multi-million pound expansion into Aberdeenshire, with new care homes earmarked for Turriff and Alford.

Parklands Care Homes, which has its headquarters in Grantown, has submitted an application for planning permission in principle for a 40 new care home and later life living village in Turriff, comprising 11 bungalows, and a new access road on a vacant site on Banff Road.

Plans for a similar development on School Road, Alford, have also been submitted. As well as a 40 bed care home, 17 later life living bungalows would be built on the site, which would be served by a new access road.

Founded in 1993 in Buckie, Parklands is a multi-award winning family run care provider. In 2020, it was named Best Smaller Care Home Group in the UK Care Home Awards and this year was crowned Highland Business of the Year in the Highland Business Awards.

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The company currently operates 10 homes in Moray and the Highlands, with the first phase of a new care hub in Inverness – comprising a 58 bed care home, later life living bungalows and affordable homes for key workers – currently under construction. Parklands has also recently announced plans for a 40 bed care home in Elgin.

The later life living model is relatively new and is intended to act as a bridge between independent living and the traditional care home model, with residents enjoying access to shared services and social activities within the adjacent care home, while leading otherwise independent lives.

The new care homes are expected to create dozens of jobs for the area and boost the local supply chain.

Both homes would comply with the Care Inspectorate's new 2022 Design Guidelines. These new guidelines significantly raise the bar in a number of areas, including the quality of accommodation for residents, standards for infection control and adaptability of accommodation in the event of future lockdowns.

Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes said: "As a company with deep roots in Moray and the Highlands, we are excited about making our first foray into Aberdeen-Shire. We believe there is a growing demand for high quality person-centred care in the region and we hope that our investment will not only create more jobs, but also help provide additional care capacity in Turriff and Alford."