A state-of-the-art centre for elderly people is to be built in Birmingham as part of a ground-breaking national scheme aimed at providing pensioners with more independence.
The new Special Care Centre, in Edgbaston, is the first of four 64-bed facilities which are to be built in the city at a cost of £44 million.
The Beeches, which will be located at the corner of Skipton Road and Ladywood Road, received planning permission last week and will be the first centre of its kind in the UK.
The centres are being rolled out following a major consultation exercise among older people, which found that living independently for as long as possible was their top priority.
The four centres will combine long term care for people with dementia, and short term places providing care and rehabilitation for patients leaving hospital, so that they can return to their own homes.
They will also act as community "one stop shops" for care, support, activities and treatments, ranging from chiropody and physiotherapy to stroke clinics and wellbeing classes.
Security has been made a top priority for the four Special Care Centres, which aim to achieve the nationally-recognised "Secure by Design" award.
Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for adults and communities, Coun Sue Anderson (Lib Dem Sheldon), welcomed the approval by the city's planning committee.
Coun Anderson said: "This is another vital step in the development of a new level of care for our older people.
"We will provide a seamless service that brings together social care services with health and wellbeing services with the aim of ensuring older people remain independent for longer.
"The centres will also be built to be flexible."
