PROPOSALS for the future of Le Court, the former Leonard Cheshire nursing home in Greatham, are to be displayed to the local community. New site owner, Countrywide Design, is hosting a public exhibition next Thursday at Greatham Vill- age Hall between noon and 7.30pm. Le Court has a long history, and in the 1086 Doomsday Survey the site was home to Greatham Manor and belonged to William the Conquerer. In the 1940s Le Court House was bought by Captain Leonard Cheshire, who in 1948 began to take in people suffering from incurable diseases. Le Court became the first home in a worldwide network of hospices for the incurably sick, now known as the Cheshire Homes. Leonard Cheshire sold the site to Countrywide Design in 2007, as the site no longer complied with modern standards for nursing homes and an upgrade of the buildings was not feasible. Leonard Cheshire has now moved to a new purpose-built facility and the site has been dormant since the final residents were relocated in September 2007. Le Court's new owners are now looking at sensitive redevelopment of the site. Countrywide Design has drawn up plans to redevelop the site into four family homes set within the existing grounds which will be maintained and enhanced. The new homes will be of a reduced height and occupy approximately 40 per cent less footprint space, relative to the existing buildings at Le Court. At the event on Thursday, a series of exhibition boards will show how the proposed homes will be designed. The architect and the developer will answer any questions the public may have about the proposals. Robert Speir, at Countrywide Design Ltd, said: "We understand the sensitivities of the Le Court site and its historical importance to the local community and have therefore dedicated a lot of thought to how the proposed homes will function and appear. "Our proposals are for four homes that are designed to be sympathetic to the surrounding environment."
