A new 75-bed care home could be built on the former Matthew Charlton builder’s merchant site off Station Road in Hexham after a planning application was submitted to Northumberland County Council.
The proposal has been brought forward by Hadrian Healthcare (Developments) Ltd and would replace the existing buildings at the site with a three-storey residential care facility. The application includes parking, landscaping and changes to parts of the site’s boundary walls.
What is proposed for the Station Road site?
The planned facility would provide 75 en-suite bedrooms alongside dedicated dementia care facilities. Residents would also have access to communal amenities including a café, lounge, salon and activity areas.
The plans include landscaped gardens and outdoor seating areas. The applicant says the development is intended to provide a luxury care setting close to local amenities and shops in the centre of Hexham.
“We are extremely excited to have secured what we consider to be a premier site for our luxury development within the heart of Hexham.”
Ian Watson, chairman and owner of Hadrian Healthcare, said the company hoped to obtain full planning permission so construction could begin as soon as possible.
Background to the former industrial site
The Old Saw Mills site covers 0.4 hectares and is a brownfield plot within the Hexham Conservation Area. It was previously occupied by industrial and warehouse buildings.
Hadrian Healthcare acquired the site in October 2025, after McCarthy Stone decided not to proceed with previously approved plans for retirement apartments.
A planning statement submitted with the application describes the scheme as a “well-considered redevelopment” that would replace outdated industrial buildings with a care facility for older residents.
Demand and planning considerations
The planning statement says the proposal is consistent with national and local planning policies, including the Northumberland Local Plan and the Hexham Neighbourhood Plan. According to the submitted document, both plans support care and housing for older people in accessible, central locations.
A specialist housing needs assessment prepared by Knight Frank identifies a projected shortfall of 285 market-standard care beds in the area by 2029. It forecasts that the shortfall could rise to 356 beds by 2034.
The applicant argues that the development would deliver “significant social, economic, and environmental benefits”. The application will now be considered through Northumberland County Council’s planning process. The source material does not state a date for a planning decision or confirm when construction would start.