A planning application has been lodged for a new £7 million nursing and step-down care facility on land beside Craigavon Area Hospital. Ann’s Care Homes is behind the proposal for a two-acre site at Lisnisky Lane.

The development would provide 69 single-occupancy en-suite bedrooms across four care units on two floors. The facility would cater for general nursing, dementia, mental health, learning disability, and physical disability care needs.

Communal spaces including lounges, dining areas, quiet rooms, and visitor facilities are included in the design, along with a multi-disciplinary meeting room and training spaces. Extensive landscaping, tree planting, and on-site parking also form part of the plans.

The company estimates the project would create 100 permanent positions once operational, with a further 40 jobs supported during construction. Ann’s Care Homes, founded in 1994, now runs 25 care homes across Northern Ireland, employing around 2,000 staff and providing over 1,260 beds.

Michael McQuade, a director at Ann’s, said the facility had been designed to help address the pressure on hospitals caused by patients remaining in acute beds because appropriate step-down or nursing care places are unavailable. He said the location next to Craigavon Area Hospital would support the timely discharge of medically fit patients, freeing up capacity for those needing acute treatment. The firm has been liaising with Health and Social Care Trusts to understand current needs.

Sinead McAvoy of Tom Stokes Planning, which submitted the application, described the proposal as strategically important for the area. She noted the £7 million investment and employment opportunities.

The planning authority will now consider the application.