The Project
Barcroft identified an opportunity to regenerate the former Ridgewood Manor care home site in Uckfield. The existing care home closed in 2012 and the site subsequently remained derelict until a major fire in 2017 destroyed the building, leaving a prominent brownfield site in need of regeneration.
Barcroft has exchanged contracts to develop a 70+ bed purpose-built care home for Connaught Care, with the project being brought forward through Mercroft, the joint venture between Barcroft Estates and Mercian Developments.
The proposed care home is a bespoke and highly considered development, with the design responding closely to the site’s challenging topography. The scheme has been carefully designed to work with the natural levels of the site, minimising its visual impact while allowing a viable and high-quality care home to be delivered.
The project represents an opportunity to bring a long-standing derelict site back into productive use, replacing a former care facility with a modern, purpose-built home designed to meet contemporary standards of care and accommodation.
The Location
The site is situated in Uckfield, an established and attractive market town in East Sussex, offering a wide range of shops, schools, healthcare, leisure and community facilities. The town provides a strong local centre and is surrounded by the attractive countryside of the High Weald, providing an appealing balance between accessibility and rural character. Uckfield also benefits from good road connections to the surrounding area, including Eastbourne, Lewes and Tunbridge Wells. The combination of its established community, extensive local facilities and attractive landscape setting makes Uckfield an appealing location for a purpose-built care home.
Barcroft's Role
Barcroft identified the opportunity to regenerate the former Ridgewood Manor site and has exchanged contracts with the landowner to bring forward a new care home through the Mercroft joint venture.
A key challenge has been developing a viable scheme that responds sensitively to the site’s topography and prominent setting. Barcroft has worked with the project team to develop a bespoke design that minimises visual impact while maximising the site’s potential to deliver a high-quality care facility.
The project demonstrates Barcroft’s ability to unlock challenging brownfield opportunities and deliver carefully considered development solutions that bring redundant sites back into productive use.
