WORK on a new £15million care home in North Berwick has begun – but plans for a hotel next to it have stalled.

Simply UK, a Glasgow-based real estate developer, alongside Advance Construction Scotland, broke ground on the site last Wednesday to signal the start of construction of the new home.

It will be located on Tantallon Road, at the site of former car sales and garage business James Mitchell Cars and west of the town’s Tesco store.

The care home and retirement living building will cover nearly 4,000 square metres and will include 70 bedrooms over three floors.

Plans submitted by Frontier Estates and approved by East Lothian Council in 2019 included a hotel being built on the same site.

A first view of how the care home could look. All images courtesy Yeoman Mcallister Architects

A first view of how the care home could look. All images courtesy Yeoman Mcallister Architects

But Frontier Estates has since withdrawn from the development, the Courier has been told, with Simply UK stating that “the care home is the only plan for the site”.

The luxury five-star complex will accommodate residents from both the private and public sector.

Morar UK, sister brand to Simply UK and the operator of Harbour House Care Home in Musselburgh, will oversee the running of the new home.

The development will include private dining areas, private kitchens, a cinema, beauty parlour and lounges.

The construction phase is due to last for about 14 months and the home expected to be completed by summer next year.

About 60 jobs will be created.

An artists impression of the proposed development of a care home and hotel. All images courtesy Yeoman Mcallister Architects

An artists impression of the proposed development of a care home and hotel. All images courtesy Yeoman Mcallister Architects

Alex Mclean, Simply UK construction director, said: “This North Berwick project is the first of a number of new care home projects currently planned for Scotland in 2021.

“We are really excited about this care home being our first development in the area.

“We have taken a more focused approach on increasing the scope at the front end of the planned site activities. This involves taking the services infrastructure, roads and parking to a finished state prior to the steel frame erection.

“Having advance construction services as key team members on this development gives us real confidence in achieving this objective.

“We continue to adopt best practice and more innovative ways of working, to limit both on-site activities and the timeframes on delivery.”

Simply UK plans to construct a new development every month for the next 12 months and a spokesperson did not rule out more investment in East Lothian.

Judy Lockhart-Hunter, chairperson of North Berwick Community Council, said: “North Berwick Community Council is pleased to see that work is beginning on the care home at the site of James Mitchell Cars.

“Demand in the town is high for care homes and finding a place can be difficult.

“Many of us know people in the town whose elderly relatives have had to move to other care homes around the county and hopefully having more rooms available will help families to stay local and make visiting that bit easier.”