WORK has begun on a £6m development which will create a new 80-bed care home for older people suffering with dementia.

The care home is being build on the site of the former Dovedale home in Dovedale Close, Welling, which used to house 46 older people.

Once completed, the new home will provide 80 ensuite bedrooms, landscaped gardens, balconies and terraces, lounges, dining rooms and areas for social activities.

There will also be a central piazza which will feature a cafe/bar, shop, beauty therapy room and a guest suite.

It is hoped the development will be complete by January next year, when residents and staff from Dovedale and Danson House in Glynde Road, Bexleyheath, will move in.

The project is a partnership between Bexley Council, the care charity Avante Partnership, and MCCH which provides care and support for people with learning disabilities.

Speaking at the turning of the sod ceremony on the site Cedric Frederick, chief executive of Avante Partnership, said: “Our aim is to provide inspiring places for people to live and work.”