A fantastic, relatively recent photo by Blantyre Drone Works shows well, how the large vacant plot of land, once occupied by the former St Joseph’s Primary School has now been used and built upon.
This is of course the new state of the art Blantyre Care Hub, with its various new buildings, homes, gardens and parking. In the foreground is the playground of the current St Joseph’s School.
Plans for the Care Hub were approved in December 2019 following extensive consultation with the public, though the pandemic and efforts to find the right contractor, delayed construction.
The new Care Hub will serve South Lanarkshire and has several elements.
This includes 20 transitional care beds for adults and older people, a centre of excellence – specialising in training and development of health and social care staff – as well as a community-facing hub. The new Care Hub now also includes 20 technology enabled homes for adults and older people. It is also designed to supplement the carer element to support an individual’s independence. The hub replaces the older, smaller facility at Kirkton Care Home, which, outdated and inadequate, and despite the good care given, was no longer fit for purpose.
The site no longer looks like a construction site, with new lanes, roads, gardens already formed. Where the contractors huts are pictured next to St Joseph’s Hall, the church now has planning permission to extend the existing hall and build a brand new carpark, accessed off Mayberry Place.
Blantyre Care Hub, is the latest major development to be constructed in Blantyre. It takes great strides into asserting Blantyre’s successful future and the upgrading of former care facilities like Kirkton which were too small and no longer fit for purpose.