An Oxfordshire firm has lifted the lid on plans to replace a concrete dome on the edge of Petersfield with a specialist nursing and dementia care home.

Brackley Investments Ltd have submitted plans to build a 70-bedroom older persons care home on the corner of Durford Road and Penns Place.

The submission to the South Downs National Park Authority fulfils something of a promise as they expressed confidence at a drop-in event in September that plans would arrive before the end of 2025.

The applicants believe Petersfield is ripe for their development as there is an acute need for new market-standard CQC-registered care home accommodation, especially for nursing and dementia care.

The overground wooded plot earmarked for the home is listed for business use and is partially occupied by a concrete dome with a chequered history.

The firm want to demolish the dome and build a three-storey T-shaped development to support the “increasing prevalence rates of dementia” in the area. They point to a shortfall of market-standard wet room accommodation within a five-mile radius and an ageing population with one in every three residents in the town likely to be aged over 60 by 2028.

Bosses also feel the home will compliment the McCarthy & Stone development approved for land off Harrier Way and will address a shortfall in older persons housing.

The firm said: “The building is bespoke for the site and is designed to best practice dementia care standards.

“It’s also entirely self-contained, with kitchens, dining rooms, assisted bathrooms and several multi-purpose activity rooms.”

The SDNPA planning committee will have the final say as the application has been called in due to its size and brevity.

To comment or for more information type SDNP/25/04090/FUL after following the search applications link at https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/