Work starts on £5m housing scheme

The council says the home will have a spa and jacuzzi

The construction of a £5.7m housing development for older people in Lancashire has started.

Cherry Tree House in Marton will have 46 two-bedroom apartments, a spa and jacuzzi when completed in 2010.

Blackpool Council said the complex was being built on the site of a previous residential home on Cherry Tree Road.

The new complex will give over 55s "the best of both worlds", a spokesman said. Residents will have access to 24-hour care, despite living independently.

'Nautical influences'

Councillor Lily Henderson, from Blackpool Council, said the work had started following two years of planning.

She said: "It replaces an out-of-date home for older people with the very latest and very best buildings."

The council said that the four-storey development, designed by architects Croft Goode, would be "modern with Art Deco and nautical influences".

The developers of Cherry Tree House, Great Places Housing, said it would also have communal areas for "social get-togethers and health activities".