A former care home in Bebington could be demolished to make way for new flats.

Plans have been submitted to knock down the prominent Rose Brae Nursing Home building to replace it with 'high-quality' apartments in a bid to help develop the area.

The plans come after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection found the home on Spital Road had breached multiple legal requirements in a damning report released two years ago.

According to the inspection summary, the home was found to have hired workers whose criminal records were 'not properly considered', an elderly resident went 18 hours without a thing to eat or drink, and another was fed an 'inappropriate diet' that increased their risk of choking.

Other problems raised included that residents were not protected from the risk of abuse, two people had 'unexplained' bruising that had not been investigated, and medication management was described as 'unsafe'.

The watchdog rated the home, which was placed into special measures, as 'inadequate'.

At the time, Debbie Westhead, the CQC’s deputy chief inspector of adult social care in northern England, said: “It is unacceptable that the provider has failed to protect the safety and welfare of people living in the home.”

Now planning documents submitted to Wirral council have revealed the building could be knocked down and replaced with a dozen new flats.

The design and access statement to be considered by planning officers said: “The proposals shall provide an opportunity to attempt to improve and re-invigorate the local area and is one of several projects currently being undertaken by the applicant on the Wirral Peninsula, to provide much needed residential accommodation and to supplement the existing housing stock.

“We believe the proposals are fully in accordance with planning policy and satisfy local targets.

"It is hoped, the proposals should therefore find favour with both Planning Officers and Elected Members of the Committee.”

According to Geoff Bryson, director of Bryson Architecture – the agent involved in the plans, the current owner bought the building after the care home closed, and 'was not involved with the previous business on site'.

The three-storey building close to Spital train station will hold 12 two-bedroom apartments and 10 parking spaces.

According to the plans, the development, previously a 29-bed nursing home, will also contain a 'central circulation area' to service all floors of the brick-exterior building.

They will see a garden at the rear with a paved area at the front for parking.

The documents, which were submitted to council on April 13, added: “A single block allows the best use of the site while allowing a large enough space for a circulation block and creating an interest to the entrance approach from Spital Road.”

The plans come after the building was put up for sale with a guide price of £450,000 shortly after it closed in 2016, with investors and developers urged to come forward.

Mr Bryson added: “The current vacant care home on site is in a very poor state of repair and has a complicated layout which prevent it from being able to sustain conversion to an apartment building.

“The application is a resubmission of a withdrawn application which was considered to be too dominant for the site and the surrounding properties.

“The new design has been developed, taking into consideration objections from the local community regarding the original application and also with guidance from Wirral Planning Department.

“We have reduced the number of apartments, the height and also the scale of the development to provide high-quality two bedroom apartments within a desirable residential location.

“A new footpath fronting Spital Road has also been proposed within the site as there is currently no pedestrian walkway providing safe access for the general public fronting the development.”