DEMOLITION has finally started on the former council Greenways care home in Darwen with hopes high for a replacement facility for the elderly.

The residential premises for 40 old and infirm residents in Salisbury Road closed in 2013.

It was part of Blackburn with Darwen council’s shake-up of elderly care which saw its four borough-run homes close to save cash and allow modern, privately-run developments to take their place.

Borough leader Cllr Mohammed Khan, then adult care boss, promised they would be replaced by new stare-of the art complexes aimed at frail over-85s.

While a new ‘dementia village’ is now under way on the site of the former Memorial Wing of Blackburn Royal Infirmary, the Greenways site was dogged with problems.

The discovery of bats roosting in the buildings required the construction of as special ‘house’ for the flying night-time mammals.

The developer interested in redeveloping the site in Sunnyhurst ward the had problems putting together the necessary financing package to the high quality new development.

Now senior borough sources and ward councillors, Dave Smith and Pete Hollings are hopeful that the full scheme will be put forward for approval by borough adult social care bosses with a planning application soon to follow.

Demolition of the buildings started on Monday and should be complete in a few weeks clearing the prime site for redevelopment.

Cllr Smith sees the proposed new scheme to provide a home of elderly residents suffering from dementia as.an ideal use for the land.

He says it will also complement the ‘extra care plus’ developments at the former Infirmary site in Blackburn and Shorey Bank in Darwen, accommodating more than 160 older people.

He said: “I am very pleased that the demolition has finally begun.

“There were problems with bats on the site an assembling a financial package for the new development.

“I am now hopeful we will see a proposal from a major national private care company come forward for Greenways focussing on frail elderly people suffering from dementia.

“It will complement the developments at Shorey Bank and the Infirmary.”

Cllr Hollings said: “It is sad to see this much-loved old care home finally knocked down.

“However, the proposed new development will be a fine replacement.

“I am very hopeful we will see a proposal for the site soon which will keep up Greenways tradition of looking after Darwen’s older residents.”