A topping out ceremony has marked a major milestone in the construction of Sutherland House Care Home in Broughty Ferry, the new £14 million care home that will bring residential, nursing and dementia care to Dundee and the wider Tayside area from spring 2027.
Topping out is the moment a building reaches its highest point, and for a construction project it is the point at which a shell becomes recognisably a home. On Dalhousie Road, that moment was marked by the Meallmore team, the construction team from CHAP Group and Lara Bird, Member of Parliament for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.
Watch the update from site
Take a look around the site as it stands today and hear directly from the team about what comes next for Sutherland House.
The day on site
The ceremony gave the team a chance to step back and look at how far the project has come. Ms Bird met senior members of the team from Meallmore, along with the construction team from CHAP Group, to talk through the plans for the future of Sutherland House and what the home will mean for the local community.
Much of the conversation on the day was less about steel and concrete and more about the people who will live and work here: the families in Broughty Ferry and Dundee who are planning ahead for care, and the local colleagues who will make the home what it is once the doors open.
What Sutherland House will offer
The £14 million home is being developed by Meallmore, one of Scotland's leading providers of older person and specialist care. On completion, Sutherland House will provide residential, nursing and dementia care, supporting people living with frailty, dementia and age-related health needs, alongside respite, short-stay and palliative support.
The purpose-built home will feature private en-suite bedrooms for 54 residents, with wet-floor shower rooms and accessible layouts designed around comfort, privacy and ease of movement. Shared spaces will include a cafe, a cinema and activities room, a hair and beauty salon, a private dining room for family occasions, bright lounges and dining areas, landscaped gardens, terraced seating and safe outdoor walkways.
Key details at a glance
- Location: Dalhousie Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 2SQ
- Investment: £14 million
- Bedrooms: 54 private en-suite rooms
- Care provided: residential, nursing, dementia, respite and palliative care
- Jobs created: 60-70 full-time equivalent roles
- Opening: spring 2027
Designed for Broughty Ferry
The three-storey home has been sensitively designed to complement the surrounding area, minimising encroachment on the beautiful established gardens and ensuring the building is in keeping with the residential character of the street. It is being created on the site of a former hotel, close to local shops, cafes, transport connections and the Broughty Ferry coastline.
That setting matters. For many families searching for a care home in Broughty Ferry or Dundee, staying close to familiar streets, shops and faces is one of the most important factors in the decision, because it keeps visiting easy and daily life recognisable.
We're thrilled to have reached this significant milestone in the construction of Sutherland House, bringing us one step closer to opening our doors. We'd like to thank Lara Bird MP for coming along to see the work in progress and hearing about our company ethos and our plans for the future.
Sutherland House has been designed with care in mind for the long term. Our aim is to create a first-class example of excellent standards of care in a great building and within a great community - a home that becomes a welcoming part of Broughty Ferry, helping residents stay connected to the people and places that matter to them. We're very much looking forward to welcoming local residents and their families and seeing this building really start to come to life.
Cillian Hennessey, CEO at Meallmore
Jobs and what it means for the local area
Sutherland House will create 60-70 full-time equivalent jobs in the local area, including nurses, care assistants, administrators and managers, as well as the hospitality, housekeeping and maintenance roles that keep a home running day to day. Recruitment for the home will build in the run-up to opening, and you can see the kinds of roles we recruit for across Scotland on our careers pages.
Investment such as this is huge for Broughty Ferry. Not only is it bringing jobs into the area, but it's bringing a real sense of community. I was so delighted to meet with the team to see how invested they are in giving back to the community whilst they're going through the project.
Projects like Sutherland House are important because their focus is on providing really high-quality care that is tailored to the individual; putting the family at the heart of that care and making sure that there is a positive experience. This is exactly what social care should look like.
Lara Bird, Member of Parliament for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
What happens next
With the building now at its full height, work turns to the interior: fitting out bedrooms and shared spaces, completing the grounds and preparing the home for its first residents. Alongside that, our team will begin recruiting and training the colleagues who will care for people here, so that the home is ready in every sense when it opens in spring 2027.
Register your interest in Sutherland House
Families planning ahead can register their interest now, well before the doors open. It costs nothing, and it means our team can keep you updated on progress, opening dates and the options available for your relative.
Visit the Sutherland House page to enquire, read more about our new care home in Broughty Ferry and Tayside, get a sense of life at Meallmore, or catch up with the latest updates in our news hub.
