Site for care home development on sale in Uckfield

A site for care home development is on sale in Uckfield. It is being sold by East Sussex County Council as part of the Age Well project.

Ridgewood Rise, pictured here, in Highview Lane, off Lewes Road, was the site of a council-run care home. It is one of five sites being sold by informal tender.

A spokesman for the county council said: “Last year plans were developed to work in partnership with the independent sector to ensure that these sites could be developed, on the basis they were used as care homes.

"All five sites will be sold on long leaseholds which will include specific clauses to ensure that the land is used only for care home development. In addition Adult Social Care will get priority access to an agreed number of bedrooms for clients.”

Keith Hinkley, director of Adult Social Care, said: “This is good news for East Sussex as we will be able to work in partnership with the independent sector to ensure quality adult social care is available in the county for the foreseeable future.”

The council has appointed Knight Frank to act as it sales agent for the sites.

Christopher Wishart, partner in Knight Frank’s Healthcare team, who is advising the council on the project, said: “The strategy from East Sussex County Council is a well-considered approach to improve elderly care facilities within the county. We expect there to be interest in the programme from a large number of private care providers from both the for-profit and voluntary sectors.”

Ridgewood Rise closed as a home in 2009 with the building subsequently being demolished.

*Originally the Age Well Project was planned as a private finance initiative. A decision was taken last year, due to the difficult economic situation, to work with the independent sector. This, said the county council, ensured that Age Well could continue in an affordable way working in partnership with other organisations.