Insider Media Limited

A development and project management duo, formerly affiliated with a Executive Care Group, has launched as an independent company.

NorthStar, which is based in offices on Newcastle's Quayside, expects to create more than 300 jobs in its first year through contracts to build and refurbish a number of residential care homes.

NorthStar has been set up by directors and Ian Holmes and Danny Sharpe. The business operates in the care home sector, overseeing developments from finding sites to handing over a Care Quality Commission-compliant building to the operator.

"We already hold a strong reputation within the industry for offering an award winning approach to developing and project managing care homes across the country, and now that we have launched ourselves independently we can offer our specialist expertise to other care home providers," said Holmes.

"The NorthStar supply chain of architects, lawyers and other construction professionals have worked hand in hand for many years and offer a comprehensive service comprising of the best consultants in the healthcare sector, all under NorthStar's lead."

Holmes added that NorthStar expected the future of the sector to involve a more specialist service moving away from the basic model employed by many providers.

"Our hope and aspirations for the business are to become leaders in the development of 21st century care homes," said Holmes.

"We believe that the post-war baby boom generation coming to retirement won't be as tolerant of the poor standards of their predecessors who lived through world wars and rationing.

"The baby boomers are a consumerist generation who will be very demanding when it comes to their accommodation standards and won’t put up with second best."