Retired psychiatric nurse talks about desire to create purpose-built care home on St Asaph business park

Carterwood has been commissioned to prepare a need assessment on behalf of Star Units Limited in relation to the development Tŷ Seren.

Dylan Southern and Simon Dobson, of Star Units Ltd, are behind the plans. Mr Dobson is a senior partner at Clarence Medical Centre in Rhyl who has been a GP in the Rhyl for more than 20 years.

St Asaph care home plans. Picture: BR Architecture. Within planning material

Proposals include creating a modern care home capable of flexibly, adapting to meet the needs of all aspects of elderly care provision, including both nursing and personal care.

It will incorporate physical adaptations and an environment suited to the provision of dedicated dementia care.

Speaking to the Journal about there desire to bring the development to fruition, Mr Southern said: "Would you stay in a hotel that doesn’t have an ensuite facility? i.e a shower, toilet. Over 70 per cent of people in Denbighshire don’t have that choice

"The Carterwood report is saying at this moment in time there is are over 700 unsuitable bedroom spaces in Denbighshire alone.

"Now of course, regulation wise, they are fine because they were built before 2002 but anything built after 2002 needs ensuite room facilities and needs to be much larger.

"The situation you’ve got now is that no new homes have been built in Denbighshire and neither have they been included in the last Local Development Plan (LDP) or proposed in the new development plan.

St Asaph care home plans. Picture: BR Architecture. Within planning material

"It is something that is not going to change unless something is done about it."

Tŷ Seren is set to be rolled out in three phases. A reablement centre will be the first phase, with a further care unit for people with severe memory problems and a third building will be built for those with end of life care needs.

The applicants say they have chosen St Asaph Business Park for the care facility due to its close proximity to Glan Clwyd Hospital.

If approved, the development is set to create 200 jobs, after the construction phase, and inject more than £5m from payroll alone in to the North Wales economy each year.

Asked about his passion, Mr Southern said: "I am retired. I am retired from all of this. I was suppose to be swanning out into the sunset!

"My nan was a resident in Rhuddlan for over 90 years. She died when she was 102 but I couldn’t bear the thought [of her going into a care home]. Luckily we avoided it with my parents who died recently but they didn’t have to go into care homes but I would have been desperate in the sense that...even if you are paying for yourself, which most people in Denbighshire pay for themselves, they haven’t got those choices and it is just plain wrong really that this is continuously allowed to happen but of course it is a group of people who don’t have a voice.

"I volunteer to vaccinate and it is just wonderful to see elderly people coming out of their homes. They have been inside since March and you think what it must have been like in a care home.

"It must have been shocking if you are in a room with no facilities and no seeing your relatives... just awful.

"I am not sure if it is passion or stupidity really. It is a desire to see something change and it is the same with Simon. As a local GP , running a big compact practice, he doesn’t need to do this but that sort of shows the love and commitment that he has got to develop this and also the training aspects we have talked about. The development of local staff and career opportunities for local people."

Mr Southern said if approval is given, the care facility will take about 12 months to build.

Speaking about the name Ty Seren, Mr Southern said: "Ty Seren links to Star Units. We wanted it to be a beacon unit which isn’t all about profit or anything like that.

"This is about improving and demonstrating what local services can be created for local people.

"I hope it stimulates the local market so itself starts improving. The benefactors of that are older people."

Last time proposals were halted in their tracks.

Mr Southern explained: "The failing points in the last proposal was the way we had addressed the potential noise that might be emitted across the site from the A55.

"We have had that reviewed and it has been revised and design revisions have gone in and so that is now - as far as we are concerned - we are satisfied.

"The other one was need. There was a perception that the land was required for still required for BT usage. However, the argument of need is now addressed in the Carterwood report and also the development of offices has basically stopped in its tracks due to Covid-19

"The third is the land has stood vacant for 33 years. It has never budged and it is actually owned by the Welsh assembly, it is not owned by Denbighshire County Council.

"The Welsh Assembly / Government have been pretty fantastic. They have been patient with us and we are grateful.

"We have had meetings with one of the local councillors and James Davies. We had really good discussions and I came away from the meetings feeling like I had been heard.

"12 months ago, I don’t think people were that bothered, but I think people have recognised now that whatever politics are going on in the world, lot of people have died as a result of Covid-19 in care homes," Mr Southern added.

"They have been a particularly group of vulnerable people and I think there is a recognition now that change has to take place. There is a shift in attitudes.

"There is going to be a need of at least 2,000 beds, more in North Wales by 2032.

"We have to start seeing some developments and care facilities being built into local development plans to make sure that our populations are appropriately cared for."

Read the planning need assessment at www.caulmert.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/09.-Planning-Need-Assessment.pdf

Anyone who wishes to make representations about the proposed development must do so by March 24.

For the draft planning application documents, visit www.caulmert.com/pre-application-consultation-proposed-development-on-plot-c7-st-asaph-business-park-st-asaph