A Congresbury care home is planning to expand to accommodate residents from another home in Cleeve, which is closing down due to financial issues.

Cleeve Court nursing home is owned by Optima Homes. The firm said its 24 beds will close as the Main Road site is not financially viable.

Optima also owns Leonard Elms care home in Brinsea Road, Congresbury.

It said it plans to build a 30-bed building and renovate a building at Leonard Elms to house displaced residents from the Cleeve site who wish to stay in the area.

Olly Bliss is one of the care home’s owners. He said: “We are looking to close Cleeve Court because it is not cost-effective and we were not getting enough fees from the local authority.

“The residents have been given the choice to move to Leonard Elms. There are two units on that site at the moment – one for general nursing and the other for dementia care.

“The dementia care unit was probably built only 10 years ago, but the general unit is an old farmhouse and it needs work.

“Therefore, we are looking to build 30 beds in a new building and we will then turn the farmhouse into assisted living flats.”

The idea was presented to a meeting of Congresbury Parish Council by representatives of planning consultancy Tetlow King.

The firm’s spokesman John Sneddon told councillors: “A lot of people do not want to be in residential care home beds and you have a higher degree of independence in these new care home apartments.

“An application will come before you in due course, but the reasons behind it are to maintain care provision and keep care in the area.”