Developers have renewed a previously-approved proposal to erect an elder care home at the junction of Pitts Bay Road and Mill Reach Road in Pembroke.

According to a planning application by Michael Heslop, the two-storey building would include rooms for 24 seniors and would initially operate as a boarding house.

The application said: “The home is consciously designed to minimise any institutional feeling and uses robust residential style finishes to encourage a level of comfort and social engagement that is not usually found in more traditional style nursing homes.

“While the current application seeks approval for the elder home as a boarding house use, the design has been prepared to serve a skilled nursing occupancy in the future.

“The idea is that the design will support the concept of ageing in place so that as the residents’ care requirements increase, that level of care can be supported by the building’s infrastructure.”

The application said that the project was modelled off the Green House Project, a non-profit organisation focused on ageing with dignity.

The basic concept for Green House elder homes is a maximum of 12 private bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and shared living, dining and kitchen areas.

“The proposal is based on two of these homes, one on ground floor and one on the upper floor, for a total of 24 residents in the main two-storey building,” the application said.

“Each 12-bedroom home is self-contained with its own dedicated entrance, kitchen, laundry facilities and staff.

“A secured courtyard area to the south is shared by both homes for recreational activities and socialisation.”

The project would also involve a new two-storey support building, which would feature two single-bedroom apartments, intended for staff, and a social development space on the ground floor.

Planning approval for the project was granted in April 2020 but has since lapsed.

Mr Heslop told The Royal Gazette that he was inspired to move forward with the project by his Christian faith and his experienced supporting his mother, who suffered from Parkinson's disease.

“I wanted to do something good for the community,” he said. “I think this is something that is really needed in Bermuda.”

He said he came across the Green House Project model at a conference while doing research.

“It is more like a home than an institution,” he said. “You look at some places where food is brought in from the kitchen in a trolley to the dining room.

“This is more of an open plan as if your parents were cooking dinner for you when you were a kid and, if you would like to, you can help in the making of the food.”

While he said he was initially unable to move forward with the proposal because of financing issues, he said he was confident those challenges were solved.