COUNCILLORS in Sutton say residents have been let down by developers of residential care in the village.

Councillors Stephen Place and Ken Hart have hit back after discovering a residential home and close care accommodation, set to be completed by summer 2006, will not provide nursing care.

The move comes after original plans, submitted to Craven District Council by Maria Mallaband Nursing Homes, stated 50 apartments would help residents requiring "assisted living" and "extra care", while a new 60-bed nursing home would replace the existing Royd Hill nursing home and accommodate elderly and mentally infirm (EMI) residents.

But new developers, Orchard Care Homes (formerly Tri-Care Ltd), are not sticking to the same brief.

Alistair Wood, planning and development manager for LNT Construction Ltd, the sister company of Orchard, confirmed its plans did not include nursing care. He said current plans for the home, which will exist in addition to Royd Hill, include 40 beds for residential care and another 20 set aside for people suffering from dementia.

Mr Wood said residents of the apartments - which now number 39 - would be able to call the home for members of staff to help them. He added: "From our point of view, commercially we believe the quality of the accommodation is so good people will want it."

But Coun Place told the Herald: "I am very, very concerned.

"My understanding was people in the first instance would have nursing care in the home and then further down the line receive close care nursing in the apartments.

"It appears the close care is no longer close care, it is just a residential block of flats. I personally feel we have been conned and the people of Sutton will equally feel they have been conned. I am very, very disappointed.

"I was certainly under the impression from reading the original planning applications, that the home would provide nursing provision and nursing care at the close care units as and when required."

Coun Place, a member of Craven District Council's planning committee along with Coun Hart, added: "We won't let matters rest here."

Coun Hart said he agreed with his colleague and added: "If developers are not using the site for what they have planning permission for they will have to put in another application."

Craven District Council planning officer Richard Preston added: "The company has raised everybody's expectations to a level which is now unlikely to be met, including the redevelopment of Royd Hill and redeployment of staff."

Mr Wood confirmed original plans included employing staff from the current Royd Hill nursing home to the new home, but said the partnership between the businesses had "dissolved".

Rumours are circulating the village that Royd Hill, which is separate to the new development has been sold, but chairman of former owner Maria Mallaband Nursing Homes, Philip Burgan, was unavailable for comment this week. When the Herald contacted the home, we were told the nursing home was no longer part of Maria Mallaband. The new owner was also unavailable to speak.