Planning Permission Approved for New Care Home in Leominster
Muller Property Group has secured outline planning permission for a purpose-built 84 bedroom care home at Barons Cross in Leominster, Herefordshire.
Herefordshire Council granted permission on 9 September 2026 for the redevelopment of the 1.64-acre Barons Cross Garage site, also known as Conod’s Yard, at the junction of the A44 and B4360.
The approval marks an important step in Muller’s plans to bring modern care accommodation to an area where the last care home was built in 2007.
A care needs assessment identifies a projected shortfall of 153 wetroom-equipped care beds within the five-mile catchment by 2030, excluding planned provision. Even after including the 84 planned beds recorded in the assessment, a projected shortfall of 69 wetroom-equipped beds remains, highlighting the need for accommodation suited to residents’ changing care requirements, with greater privacy, accessibility and personal facilities.
The three-storey care home is arranged around a courtyard. Bedrooms are organised into smaller resident communities, supported by dedicated communal spaces and nursing facilities. The proposals include en-suite wet rooms throughout, alongside assistive technology and adaptations to support residents with dementia, neurological conditions and complex nursing needs, including palliative care.
Residents would have access to lounges, dining rooms, a café/bistro, cinema, hair and nail salon and private dining spaces for spending time with family and friends. Upper-floor terraces and ground-floor bedroom patios would provide connections to the outdoors.
Indicative landscaping proposals include a courtyard with seating and raised sensory planters, quieter garden spaces and an allotment area where residents could grow produce. New trees and hedging would soften the road frontages and complement retained mature trees. Detailed landscaping remains subject to a separate approval.
By 2035 Herefordshire’s population aged 85 and over is projected to increase by 56%, highlighting the importance of planning for future care requirements.
Once operational, the care home is expected to create around 75 jobs, providing opportunities across care, nursing, hospitality and support roles and contributing to Leominster’s local economy.
Julie Doherty, MD – Care at Muller Property Group, said: “Our design-led approach at Barons Cross demonstrates how a purpose-built care home can respond sensitively to its surroundings while meeting an identified local need. Huge congratulations to our landowner, the Muller team, and everyone involved in securing this approval. It reflects the detailed research, technical work and collaborative work that underpin our approach to unlocking land, creating places that support residents and wellbeing while contributing positively to the communities around them.”
