A TIMBER yard in Cowley Road could be turned into a care home under new plans.

Developer Montpelier Estates wants to build a 60-bed care home on the site at 474 Cowley Road, which also contains four flats.

The home, which would provide 24-hour care to residents, would be built over three storeys and would have 20 parking spaces and two private garden areas.

Oxfordshire county councillor for St Clement’s and Cowley Marsh Jamila Azad said she welcomed the proposals in principle.

She said: “It will be good for the local community.

“East Oxford needs a new care home.

“I want to see the details of the application before I comment on the specifics.

“But it is the sort of thing we would like to see here rather than other types of development.

“We need a care home for the elderly because there is nothing as big as this in the area at the moment.”

If the outline planning application is backed by Oxford City councillors, a more detailed application would then need to be submitted and approved before the home could be built.

But Oxford city councillor Cowley Marsh Mohammed Abbasi said he was worried there would be an increase in congestion.

He said: “I am just a little bit worried about the traffic because of people coming and visiting.

“I got a letter from the builders so I need to speak to them.

“The traffic is what I will discuss with them.

“No residents have spoken to me about it yet, but my personal concerns are about the traffic.”

In a planning statement submitted to the city council by consultants Frampton, on behalf of Montpelier Estates, the company said it wanted to try and avoid traffic problems.

It said: “The care facility will operate in three shifts covering 24 hours, with staff handovers aimed to avoid peak traffic disruptions.

“The proposals will result in a reduction of HGV and LGV delivery movements.”

And Montpelier Estates director James McGarry said the scheme would benefit Oxford’s ageing population.

The number of people over 65 in Oxfordshire is expected to rise from an expected 122,000 in 2016 to 151,000 by 2026.

He said: “Changes in the health economy mean a lot of people are dealing with dementia and we will be caring for them here as well as people with other problems.

“We know that we have an ageing population and we know that local authorities are struggling to look after people.

“The private sector will move in to look after people.

“This home will be as good as it gets. We have built homes like this elsewhere and we have been doing it for a number of years.

“The expectation is getting higher and higher in terms of care.”

The site is currently owned by timber merchants W G Powell, which still trades from the site.

No date has yet been set for the application to be considered.