Landowners are being urged to help managers at a leading Oxford dementia care home in its search for a site to build new premises.

The Botley Alzheimers Home wants to buy at least one and a half acres for a £5m state-of-the-art unit to replace its current cramped conditions at Vale House, in West Way.

Trustees and staff have already spent two years searching for a suitable plot, but have often found themselves out-bid by developers willing to pay a premium for land.

They are desperate to build a new home, which would allow them to increase the number of people they care for by 50 per cent and install the latest equipment and amenities for their patients.

Manager Tricia O'Leary said: "Vale House was built for 17 people, but because our waiting list is forever over-subscribed we've already increased by three beds, but we're overcrowded.

"We were awarded the top three-star rating by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in our last inspection, which makes us quite unusual.

"Other units use us as an example - for us to achieve that in our cramped surroundings is amazing.

"Dementia care has moved on apace and we're trying to keep up with it.

"We want to find a new site to build a purpose-built home to accommodate all the equipment we need."

The development would include about 30 to 32 en suite rooms, and enough space to look after both bed-bound and active patients Mrs O'Leary said: "Although we're a dementia care home, we've made a commitment to look after people until they die, so we have a handful of people who're bed-bound and need hoisting, but hoists take up a lot of space.

"Those who're still able need to take part in activities, but we don't have a dedicated activities room and have to use a corner of our already-small living room.

"We'd also like a nice garden area. We have a very small garden at the moment, but we have an idea for a central courtyard in the centre of the new building. If our patients wandered into it, it wouldn't matter, but if they wandered out now, they could get lost."

Although staff would like to stay in West Oxford, because they receive a lot of support from community groups, they are looking further afield and have extended their search to anywhere within the city's ring road.

Mrs O'Leary added: "Most of the sites we've found are owned by colleges, Oxford University itself or councils, and they have to capitalise on the land, so we usually lose out to a higher bidder.

"We've already raised £1m for the project and are confident we'll be able to get the rest. We just need the land."

Anyone who has an appropriate plot they would be willing to sell can call Mrs O'Leary at Vale House on 01865 794096.