Family-owned care home provider Colten Care has begun site work on a new office hub in Ringwood, Hampshire.
The expanding business is locating most of the support services for its entire homes portfolio on part of a 17-acre former industrial site in Christchurch Road on the south side of the town.
The land has stood idle since the 1998 closure of a plant operated by engineering firm Wellworthy, which specialised in car and aircraft parts.
Last year, district councillors approved Colten Care’s planning application to regenerate the site with new offices, 55 parking spaces and 20 cycle bays.
Colten Care owns and runs 19 care homes across Hampshire, Dorset and south Wiltshire with a further home due to open in Chichester next year.
When the new Ringwood hub opens in autumn 2016, it will replace two existing Ringwood offices, one in the High Street and the other in Meeting House Lane.
A management office in Western Road, Lymington, where Colten Care was founded, will also close.
Colten Care Chief Executive Mark Aitchison said: “Lymington remains a key part of our heartland now and for the future. It was where our business began and we have three successful care homes there including a specialist dementia home, Linden House, which we opened just last year. As we have grown our overall portfolio of homes, however, it now makes sense to house our support services in one, more central place.”
The name ‘Colten’ reflects a combination of the surnames of founders John Colwell and Adrian Otten.
John said: “We operate on the basis of being one team. Our new, purpose-built Ringwood offices will bring together colleagues working in HR, payroll, quality control, marketing, design and other essential support activities. It means we will be more efficient in facilitating care and being responsive to all our homes. It will also equip us well for the future as we continue to grow as a care provider over the longer-term.”
Adrian added: “The residents of our care homes already enjoy an excellent standard of living accommodation. We want our support staff to have a high-quality working environment too.”
