A former factory site has been revealed as the location of a proposed new £6 million care home.

The derelict Sekers site at Hensingham in Whitehaven, which has become an eyesore since the fabrics factory was demolished in 2010, has been earmarked to house the 60-bed care home that could replace a number of existing homes in the borough.

Cumbria County Council is consulting residents and their families of the Copeland-based homes it runs – Whitehaven's Brackenthwaite and Pow Beck, Castle Mount in Egremont and Dentholme in Cleator Moor – that are at risk of being closed if the new home gets the go-ahead.

The council says the move would improve the quality of care available for those with conditions like dementia, while those with less complex needs will be cared for in their own homes. Critics have raised concern about the impact of any move on the vulnerable residents.

County council chiefs this week signed a ‘first refusal’ agreement with the owners of the Sekers site, and the landowners must now clean it up ahead of the council deciding in February next year whether to progress its new-build plans.

The care home would take 12 to 18 months to build, and the land on which the existing care homes are situated would be sold if and when they are closed. Staff would also be transferred to the new home.

The council has also identified two additional sites for extra care housing it might introduce as a result of the consultation.

County councillor Frank Morgan, chairman of the county's Copeland local committee, said: “We are delighted that the council has secured the option to develop the old Sekers site as it’s been derelict for a long time.

“As part of our care proposals, this site could be considered for the new care home but could also make a fantastic location for extra care housing. The fact is we are a council investing in our care provision which, in these times of austerity, is unusual and we are bucking the trend across the country.”

The council carried out a similar scheme in Barrow – to replace smaller care homes with one bigger one – which it says has been a success.

Beth Furneaux, cabinet member for health and care services, said: “It is essential that as part of the current consultation that local people take time to tell us what they think about our plans for care in the Copeland area and we would encourage people to use our consultation as a vehicle to express their views and ideas for the future of the Sekers site as well.”

Nottingham-based Pathfinding Commercial Ltd won planning permission in 2010 to build a £6m 58-bed care home and housing on the Sekers site, but the work was never carried out.

The council’s care home consultation runs until December 23 and is available at www.cumbria.gov.uk/haveyoursay

Drop-in sessions will take place at

  • Egremont Methodist Church on November 8, from 9.30am to 12noon
  • Cleator Moor Library on November 9, from 1.30pm to 4pm
  • St Andrew’s Church Hall on November 11, from 10am to 12.30pm
  • Whitehaven Library on November 14, from 6pm to 8.30pm
  • Egremont Library on November 16, from 1.30pm to 4pm
  • Howgill Family Centre on November 17 from 10am to 12.30pm