PLANS for a groundbreaking £3.125 million supported living scheme for people with severe learning disabilities have moved a step closer after winning unanimous support from councillors.

Shropshire Council wants to create a state-of-the-art facility at Greenacres Farm in Walford Heath to house up to eight adults with the most complex care needs, needs who are currently placed outside the county due to a lack of suitable accommodation.

A report presented to members at a full council meeting on Thursday said the intended residents of the proposed facility currently cost the council between £90,000 and £320,000 a year each in care packages due to being placed elsewhere in the country.

The new supported living complex at Greenacres, which currently provides day services for adults with learning disabilities to learn about agriculture and horticulture, will be the first of its kind in the county.

Councillor Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for adult social care, said he was “delighted” to present the report.

He said: “It’s a very much needed scheme. We currently don’t have any of this specialist supported living accommodation for adults with severe learning disabilities within Shropshire so for the small number of individuals that we have a responsibility for the care of, we end up having to commission these bed spaces outside the county.

“It can in some circumstances lead to these people being sent hundreds of miles away from their homes, their families, their friends, their support networks, which is not conducive to a good quality of life.

“This works financially for the council, the business model stacks up, it will cost us less to provide this service than to buy the beds wherever in the country they are vacancies at the time we need them.

“But the main reason for doing this isn’t financial. By bringing Shropshire residents back to Shropshire to receive their care we are bringing them back closer to their support networks, it increases their quality of life.”

Councillor Nick Bardsley, who represents Ruyton and Baschurch which includes Greenacres, said he was pleased with the proposal and the way the council had involved the parish council and community in the plans.

Members unanimously supported progressing with the scheme, for which a planning application is expected to be submitted before the end of the year.

An outline business case for the project says five potential occupants for the units have already been identified, and based on the current cost of their care packages, the scheme could save the council £289,000 a year. The savings are put down to a reduction in staffing hours as carers can be shared.

It is anticipated the units will be leased to a housing association for £60,000 a year, while the loan repayments of £179,000 a year and maintenance of £5,000 will create a net revenue of £165,000.

There is potential for a further saving of £418,000 a year based on the anticipated care costs of three other prospective residents who are not currently funded by the council’s adult social care budget but are likely to be in the near future.

There will be four one-bed units and two two-beds. Each will include a living area, bathroom and kitchen area, with communal and outdoor areas also provided.

A house on the farm will also be converted into a multi-use building where residents can go for movie nights, fitness classes and other activities.

An internal courtyard will be created along with outdoor space including a running track and outdoor gym.

Staff will be on site around the clock and it is anticipated the scheme will create around 30 jobs.

The units will use assisted living technology to support residents and enable them to carry out tasks independently.