A new £6million care home in Whitehaven is likely to be given the go ahead later this month.

The home will replace four others in Copeland, employing 120 full-time staff.

Members of the county council's development control committee are being urged to approve plans for the 60-bed home on the derelict site of the former Sekers factory.

But if the application is pushed through when they meet at the end of the month, there will be 30 strict conditions attached to the planning permission.

One of these is the hours of construction which will be limited to between 7.30am and 6pm on Monday to Friday and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. No work would take place on Sundays or public holidays.

Building work is expected to take up to 18 months, and Copeland councillors had raised concerns about the impact on nearby residents as the development site is near to several housing estates.

The district council's planners also criticised the care home design, calling it "poor."

In the county council's report, published ahead of the March 30 meeting, it says while Copeland Council's comments are acknowledged, the proposed care home is acceptable in terms of its quality, design and siting.

"The scheme as a whole would bring back into use this prominent site on the approach to Whitehaven town centre while also enhancing its immediate surroundings," said Dominic Donnini, the authority's corporate director for economy and highways.

Once it's up and running, the new care home will replace the county council's four existing facilities in Copeland – Brackenthwaite and Pow Beck in Whitehaven; Castle Mount at Egremont and Cleator Moor's Dentholme.

Staff from the four care homes will be relocated into the new facility, which will employ 120 workers, on a shift pattern with a maximum of 30 on site at any time.

The site, which is currently derelict, would feature a new care home with one central communal block and three separate wings.

County council bosses said the new-build would improve the quality of care available for those with conditions like dementia, while those with less complex needs will be cared for in their own homes.