An eight month wait for the start of building work on a much needed new £6m care home has come to an end.

Diggers were out in force yesterday in the grounds of Hartismere Hospital in Eye as construction started on the home, which will be known as Hartismere Place and will provide accommodation for 60 residents, including people with dementia.

The facility, which is set to open in October 2015, will also be home to 20 residents from Paddock House care home in Wellington Road, Eye, which is closing because of its age and a lack of space.

Healthcare provider Care UK secured planning permission for Hartismere Place, which will be twice the size of Paddock House, in January, but the start of construction was delayed by the NHS getting the necessary paperwork cleared to enable its land to be leased.

Suffolk county councillor Guy McGregor, who represents Eye and Hoxne, estimated the delays had cost taxpayers £125,000 in efficiency savings that would have been made if the new home had been completed on time.

Mr McGregor's fellow county councillor Alan Murray, cabinet member for health and adult services, was present for the launch, along with representatives of Care UK and Paddock House residents.

'It is fantastic that the work is now getting started and we have got great hopes for this care home. It will be a state-of-the-art facility,' Mr Murray said.

The home is part of Care UK's upgrades to facilities across Suffolk, which has included new properties at Mildenhall and Ipswich and Hartismere Place will boast a coffee shop, hairdressers, small cinema and the Hartismere Club to provide a treat for people living locally to enable them to maintain their independence while making new friends and keep up hobbies.

Phillip Steyn, regional director of Care UK, said the home could welcome residents from other parts of Suffolk who wanted to be closer to their families, while Eye residents could move in the other direction.

He added the location of the home in the hospital grounds would provide residents with easy access to GPs and chiropodists and other healthcare services.

'We are delighted that this new care home is now under way. It will be a fantastic facility for the local community, forming part of the town's health village and we look forward to welcoming the first residents and club members when it opens in October 2015.'

What difference will the care home make to Eye residents' lives? Email dominic.bareham@archant.co.uk.