Refurbishing Applethwaite Green Care Home in Windermere has emerged as the most popular option in a public consultation, with two-thirds of respondents supporting a full refurbishment rather than closure.
Westmorland and Furness Council received 254 responses during a consultation that ran from May to August. Of those, 164 people—66 per cent—favoured a full refurbishment. A further six per cent supported a more modest refurbishment designed to retain local care provision while limiting disruption to residents.
Decision due at Kendal Town Hall
The findings are due to be discussed by the council’s health and adults scrutiny committee on September 23 at Kendal Town Hall. A final decision will be made after that discussion.
Supporters of keeping the home open have organised a free coach from Windermere Railway Station. It is scheduled to leave at 12.30pm on the day of the meeting for people who want to attend.
The consultation presented four broad choices: doing nothing, refurbishing the existing building, demolishing and rebuilding it, or closing the care home altogether. The council-run Applethwaite Green, along with Grisedale Croft in Alston, had previously been judged functionally obsolete.
Concerns about relocation and care standards
A report author for the authority said respondents had raised concerns about continuity of care, familiarity and residents’ emotional wellbeing. The report also highlighted the risks of relocation for people living with dementia, frailty or anxiety.
“Respondents highlighted continuity of care, familiarity, emotional wellbeing and the risks associated with relocation, particularly for residents living with dementia, frailty or anxiety.
“While only 15 respondents indicated support for Option 1.5, support for its underlying principles appeared substantially more widespread and was evident across many responses favouring refurbishment.”
Applethwaite Green has 27 beds. Earlier this year, councillors were told the building was financially unsustainable, had been operating below capacity and could not meet modern regulatory standards. The home was reported to have 16 permanent residents at the time of the cabinet report.
The source material said long-standing recruitment difficulties and high reliance on agency staff had contributed to the reduced capacity. It also said the home had some of the highest costs among the council’s care provision.
Estimated refurbishment cost and residents’ views
The council’s consultation document estimated that bringing the home up to modern standards, including en suite rooms, could cost between £2.5 million and £3 million. Running costs were stated to be more than £2,000 per resident each week—about twice the council’s cost for a place at an independent provider or at a fully occupied council-run home.
Residents responding to the consultation described Applethwaite Green as home and praised its staff. One wrote: “Leave my home alone please.” Another said they had found “a new family” at the care home and that losing it would be “very distressing and extremely upsetting”.
A third resident said they were happy, described staff as very caring and said an en suite bathroom was not necessary for their needs.
A relative claimed the council had a preferred view in favour of closure, saying the consultation paper was biased and misleading in its wording and presentation. The committee’s discussion on September 23 will take place before the council reaches its final decision.