After securing planning permission in August last year from City of York Council the three-storey Blue Beck House and its neighbouring outbuildings will be demolished to make way for the 72-bed dementia-friendly development, which will be managed by Torsion Care Ltd.

The building, in Blue Beck Drive between Rawcliffe and Clifton, was formerly part of the original Clifton Hospital site but had been part vacant for a number of years and has been sold by NHS Property Services.

Currently accessed from Shipton Road, the site accommodated NRS Healthcare’s Wheelchair Centre which was relocated to a new unit nearby as part of the overall plan for the site, with the support of NHS Property Services, to ensure continuity of provision for patients and service users.

Helen Stubbs, Senior Transaction Manager for NHS Property Services said: “After local health commissioners identified Blue Beck House as surplus accommodation, we were keen to ensure that the site was disposed of efficiently enabling us to reinvest the capital back into the NHS as soon as possible.

“We are very pleased to have completed the deal, with the support of the local planning authority enabling developers to start work on the care home facility which will undoubtedly provide additionality for local residents and their families who require care both now and in the future.”

Richard Corby, Director at Lambert Smith Hampton, the agents commissioned to facilitate the sale of the property said: “We are very pleased to have successfully completed the transaction on Blue Beck House in partnership with NHS Property Services. We are sure it will create a fantastic opportunity for this much needed care facility to be developed, as well as generating significant capital reinvestment back to the NHS.”

Chris Burns, Senior Land Manager at Torsion Care said: “We are delighted to have secured the planning permission and purchase of this site. The prospect of redeveloping Blue Beck House presented us with the perfect opportunity to provide a much-needed modern, energy efficient care facility, whilst also providing significant employment opportunities to the local community. Our development has already begun, and we look forward to welcoming our first residents in June 2024.”