THE receiver in charge of a Bolton nursing home has sparked fears it may be forced to close after applying for permission to create housing on the site.

Newlands Nursing Home, in Chorley New Road, which caters for around 40 elderly residents, was put into receivership in 1999.

Receivers Rothman Pantall and Company had said they intended to keep the home open and sell it as a going concern, renewing the pledge as recently as January.

They placed the home on the market immediately but say while there have been several expressions of interest none were acceptable. Suitable further offers are believed unlikely.

But official receiver Nick O'Reilly stressed that an application about to be lodged with the council to convert the home into residential use did not necessarily mean it would close.

He said: "I need to explore all options with regard to the site at Newlands Nursing Home. I would like to point out that the reason why I am carrying out this exercise is to see whether the site has more value with residential planning permission attached to it than it does as an existing nursing home.

Successful

"Even if I am successful it does not mean that I will be able to achieve a higher price for the site than it is currently being marketed for.

"If a decision is made by me to close the home, I will give you plenty of notice of that intention but at the present time I will continue trading the nursing home for the foreseeable future."

Nuala Roberts, who has an elderly friend in the home, said: "We have put our faith in the home and we have been more than happy with what they have done for our friend.

"All the residents are comfortable and it will be a huge upheaval for them. For some of them it will be heart-wrenching. There are not really any other residential homes in the area."

The receivers were called in by the home's then-owners Rochefort Healthcare (Newlands), of Windsor, in January 1999.