An innovative new care home that is close to completion is set to create up to 80 jobs for the local community.

The construction of the state-of-the-art care home in Baylham, near Great Blakenham, is being overseen by mother-and-son team Prema Fairburn-Dorai and Adrian Fairburn, of Cardinal Healthcare, who already run the Old Rectory care home in nearby Barham.

The new home would create between 70 and 80 full and part time jobs and Mr Fairburn said he had already received more than 50 applications – before the first advert has even been placed.

The home will offer places to 55 residents and has a 10-bed dementia wing with each room having direct access to a secure outdoor area.

Mr Fairburn said there was a real emphasis on enabling all residents to have as much natural light and outdoor access as possible, with many of the rooms having their own balconies.

He said: “Every room is the same size and 50% over the minimum standard. The idea is that people increasingly want to bring more of their own belongings from their homes so it’s a big space for people to enjoy.

“We will have a ‘reminiscence lounge’ with 1940s and 50s furniture and features and breakout areas with huge double floor-length windows. The idea is to have as many different areas in the home for people to spend time in.”

The new home, in Plum Pudding Hill, should be finished by late June and be equipped with a string of “modern-day” features that Mr Fairburn said would be hard to integrate into an existing building.

The project has been carried out almost exclusively with local contractors and sub-contractors including contract administrator Gill Associates and Needham Market-based Mixbrow Construction.

Mixbrow surveyor Adrian Barton said it had been an ideal project to be involved with and there had been up to 45 employees on the site during busy periods

He added: “We have used local sub-contractors – mechanics, electricians and engineers. From a Mixbrow point of view, it has been an excellent job to be involved with.”