In May Westmorland and Furness Council launched formal public consultations on the future of two residential care homes.
Residents, families, staff and the wider community were all invited to share their views on options for the future of Applethwaite Green Care Home in Windermere and Grisedale Croft Care Home in Alston.
Westmorland and Furness Council says it has been listening carefully to responses to our public consultations on the future of two residential care homes and has decided to extend the 12-week consultation period by a further two weeks.
The consultation has been extended to clarify to care home residents, families, staff and local communities that the option to "refurbish" Grisedale Croft in Alston and Applethwaite Green in Windermere would mean the homes would have to close for an estimated 12 to 24 months, with current residents having to move temporarily or permanently to an alternative home.
The consultation opened on 14 May and was to run for 12 weeks to 5 August. It will now run until 19 August.
The council said its decision was made after listening to community views and concerns at information drop-in sessions and assessing the responses received so far to the consultation surveys for both homes. The survey responses indicated that some people were preferring the "refurbishment" option because they understood it would allow current residents to remain in the home during the work, and therefore it would be one of the least disruptive options for the residents.
The public consultation materials in print and online stated that Refurbishment would mean "extensive remodelling and refurbishment" and that the option would be "highly disruptive to current residents", but did not spell out that the extent of structural work required for a complete remodelling of the home, which would include installing new plumbing and wiring, and updating mechanical and electrical installations, and would mean the home would have to close for an extended period.
The council have also clarified that the option to rebuild care homes on their current sites would mean residents having to move temporarily or permanently to an alternative home for two to four years.
Consultation materials have been updated and people who have already responded to the consultation are being contacted with the new information and being invited to resubmit a new consultation response if they wish.
Nikkie Phipps, Assistant Director of Care Services, said: "The understanding of what the refurbishment option would mean for current residents of the two care homes is highly significant for residents and their families and important for the wider community to understand.
"It would not be safe or practical for residents to remain: in simple terms, the building would be stripped back and be a building site for an extended period.
"So that's why we have updated our consultation information and extended the consultation period to allow time for the changes to be communicated and for anyone who wishes to review and resubmit their consultation response."
As part of the consultation process and the update of information, the council has also clarified in answer to community questions and concerns about Grisedale Croft, that "Option 5: Provide alternative accommodation in a newly acquired property in the local area" was intended to refer to the town of Alston.
The council has also agreed to hold a public meeting at Alston Town Hall on Thursday 16 July.
To view the information about options for the future of Applethwaite Green and take part in the online survey, please visit consult.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/adult-social-care/applethwaite-green
To view the information about options for the future of Grisedale Croft and take part in the online survey, please visit consult.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/adult-social-care/grisedale-croft
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