- size of plot - I would like it to be 2-3 hectares (at least), in order to have room for the 75 bed nursing home, my home, plus some other staff and visitor accommodation, plus space for houses, flats, etc to be built on the site at a later date. It is also very important that there is ample space for gardens, with paths, patios etc to provide a variety of interesting and stimulating outdoor environments, also at least a few raised beds for growing our own veg, and an orchard, even if only half a dozen fruit trees.
- local support - finding a local authority, or development trust or regeneration initiative based in the area, who would be willing to make a financial (in kind) contribution, e..g. gifting some of the land for a guarantee that it would provide homes, jobs, community facilities, etc
- easily accessible by public transport
- a sufficient client base. As the offer will be highly specialised, I think Deep Green would have a much wider catchment area than a typical care home. We would ensure that neighbouring health and social care commissioners would be able and willing to send their clients
- price
- likelihood of getting Planning permission
I scoured the Register of Public Sector Land Surplus yesterday. There were a couple of former NHS sites which seemed worthy of further investigation. I'll report progress.
