Jamie Buchan
A multimillion-pound bid to create a “care village” in the north-east had been backed by councillors.
Aberdeenshire Council is planning a large-scale development at Peterhead to address the region’s rapidly growing elderly population.
The scheme would offer around 100 places for older residents, as well as specialist accommodation for dementia sufferers.
It would be modelled on the shire’s first care village which opened at Stonehaven just over a year ago.
A similar development is being built at Inverurie and is expected to open next year.
Members of the local authority’s social work and housing committee gave their backing to the £8million project.
The next step will be identifying a suitable site within Peterhead or on its outskirts.
The plans are being developed in conjunction with NHS Grampian and would combine 24-hour care – provided with the help of technology such as phone links and sensors – with affordable rented housing.
They have been tabled as the authorities in Aberdeenshire grapple with a projected 50% rise in the number of residents aged 65-74 and a 73% increase in the number of people over 75 by 2025.
The figures for people with dementia in the north-east are also expected to double over the next 25 years from the current 4,100 recorded cases.