THREE super care homes set to be built in Hampshire will bring more than 300 new jobs to the region, the Daily Echo can reveal.

The trio of state-of-the-art residential homes will be built in Romsey, Fair Oak and Netley Abbey – an investment of more than £30m into the county over the next two years.

Once open the new homes will create around 300 long-term jobs for nurses, care assistants and ancillary staff but the building phase will also spark job opportunities, with bosses determined to employ local contractors and make the most of local suppliers.

Hartford Care set its sights on Hampshire after its residential care home with nursing in Hartwood House, Lyndhurst, proved a huge success since its opening in June, with one new admission per week.

It is the latest good news for jobseekers in the county who have already seen more than 1,000 jobs created across Hampshire in the past few months.

The homes will be designed to provide the best possible environment for providing quality residential, dementia, nursing, respite and day care for older people across Hampshire.

Work has already got under way on the prestigious Sunnybank House development in Fair Oak, with the new 60-bed care home, with nursing, expected to be ready for residents next summer.

Later this year work will start on the Netley Abbey project, which will see 65 beds and nine exclusive living apartments brought to Victoria Road by the spring of 2015.

The third and final phase will begin next spring, when work on Hartford Care’s fourth care home in Hampshire will commence in Abbotswood, Romsey – the plans for which are already well under way after the land was secured.

Eastleigh Borough Council leader Keith House welcomed the jobs boost. He said: “We have worked very closely with the developers on both the Fair Oak and Netley Abbey schemes and both are high quality and meet the needs of the local community, as well as being a great boost for local jobs.

“The back story to this is that we have an ageing population and we need more good quality care facilities that allow older people to stay living in their communities in their later years otherwise they are forced to move to other locations away from friends and family.

“So this is not only good in terms of jobs and investment, it is also good for the community as a whole.”

Hartford Care most recently opened Hartwood House, with the help of Hampshire’s Esther Rantzen, which offers a “family home where we live life to the full”.

The home has 50 bedrooms, including a specialist dementia care unit and a bespoke nursing unit. It also runs Woodlands House, which is also in Lyndhurst.

Hartford Care is part of a family- owned business based in Basingstoke and currently has a collection of nine individual care homes throughout the south and south-west, which all aim to meet the individual needs of every resident, while offering dignity and respect.

Sean Gavin, chief executive of Hartford Care, added: “We are so delighted that we have been able to make a positive difference for a number of people, some of whom have complex needs, with the opening of Hartwood House.

“So we are thrilled to be extending our work in Hampshire and helping even more people enjoy their later years.”

The three projects are joint ventures with Cinnamon Care Capital and construction partner Highwood Group, which is determined to employ local contractors where possible to do the work.

As well as the 300 new jobs on offer, Hartford Care also works with local colleges and will offer care apprenticeships for young people within each of their homes.