Highland care home sites unveiled

Highland councillors have agreed the sites of five new care homes for the elderly which will be built at a total cost of £21m.

The council decided last year to fund the care homes itself rather than involve the private sector.

But some councillors have said they were concerned the project would go over budget.

A timetable for the new care homes is to be unveiled at a council meeting in August.

Under the proposals, the council is to seek outline planning permission for new homes at Caol, Grantown, Burnside in Inverness, Muir of Ord and Tain.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, chairwoman of the Housing and Social Work Committee, said the new centres would incorporate residential and nursing care.

Day care would also be provided in some cases, she added, and the design would be flexible enough to accommodate future extension.

Officials would also be looking at future uses of the homes that will be replaced by the new facilities, such as Ach an Eas, Invernevis House and Duthac House.

She said: "I would like to thank the public for their comments during the consultation period and we will now proceed to seek outline planning permission for these sites. Officials will come back to our next meeting in August with a timescale for taking these projects forward."

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