A FAMILY-owned care home in Taunton has been sold to an expanding local operator.

Northway House Nursing and Residential Home, in Kingston Road, has been bought by Pebblestones Ltd following a confidential sales process handled by business property adviser Christie & Co.

Pebblestones takes on the converted detached house, which is registered to care for up to 20 residents, to add to its portfolio of care homes in Cerne Abbas and Winterbourne Steepleton.

Northway, which had been owned by the same family since 2009, was sold to allow its owners to pursue other interests away from the sector.

Chetan Borkhatria, operations director of Pebblestones, said: “I have been in the care sector for almost 23 years and have seen it evolve over this time.

"Northway House was a good opportunity to add to the Pebblestones Ltd group and, going forward, we will be undertaking a complete refurb programme at the home to complement the existing homes within our group.”

Simon Harvey, senior director for care at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, said: “We were delighted to be able to assist the owners in the sale of Northway House, especially having originally sold the home to them and, likewise, to have once again assisted Chetan in his business growth following his acquisition of Casterbridge Manor eight years ago.

“This sale is yet another example of the demand that exists within the care sector in the South West, especially from regional care homeowners with an appetite to grow.

"With numerous other transactions ongoing and being agreed, despite the obvious challenges that exist within the sector and the wider economy, signs are generally positive for the remainder of this year and beyond.”

Northway House Nursing and Residential Home was sold for an undisclosed price.