The offices used by Hambleton District Council are set to be transformed into a 66-bedroom residential care home after being sold to a national care home developer.
The former civic centre at Stone Cross has been acquired by LNT Care Developments Ltd, which plans to redevelop the site into a three-storey care facility operated by Crystal Care Collection.
The home will provide residential, dementia and respite care for older people and is expected to create around 60 jobs.
The building previously served as the headquarters of the former Hambleton District Council before local government reorganisation in 2023, when the authority merged with seven others to form North Yorkshire Council. Since then, council services have been relocated, leaving the site surplus to operational requirements.
North Yorkshire Council said the sale will generate a significant capital receipt that can be reinvested into priority services while reducing the ongoing costs of maintaining an unused building. Deputy leader Councillor Gareth Dadd said the authority had inherited a large estate of underused properties and had a responsibility to ensure public assets deliver value for money.
Local councillor Steve Watson welcomed the redevelopment, saying it would bring a long-vacant building back into use, support older residents and contribute to investment in Northallerton while delivering savings that could be used elsewhere in the council.
Planning permission for the redevelopment was granted by the Richmond area planning committee in May. The scheme includes 66 en suite bedrooms, a library, landscaped gardens, 25 parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage. Construction is expected to begin in July.
Keeley Sharp, land director at LNT Care Developments, said the company was pleased to bring additional care provision to Northallerton and create around 60 employment opportunities. She said Crystal Care Collection would provide person-centred residential, dementia and respite care through an all-inclusive fee model.
The adjacent leisure centre and former caretaker’s property are not included in the sale.
Be the first to comment