Lord Mayor of Southampton attends ‘topping out’ ceremony at multi-million-pound new care home

Southampton’s newest care home, set to open later this year, has marked its latest construction milestone. 

The Care UK team and representatives from construction partner Carter Lauren Construction Limited were joined by the Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor David Shields, for a special ‘topping out’ ceremony at The Wickets, on Banister Road.

After making his way up to the roof of The Wickets with Pooja Dhoot, Home Manager at The Wickets, and Alun Williams and Jason Thompson, Site Managers for Carter Lauren Construction Limited, the Lord Mayor laid a tile in a traditional ceremony to mark the external build as officially complete. He was then given a special tour of the home and spoke with the team about plans for the internal design and the future of The Wickets.

The purpose-built care home – which is expected to welcome the first residents in February 2026 – will provide full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care, for up to 80 older people, with facilities including its own cinema, pub and coffee shop.

Justin Daley, Development Project Manager at Care UK, said: “We’re delighted to be adding to our ever-expanding portfolio of residential care homes. The Wickets is our sixth home in the region and follows the success of Ancasta Grove which opened three years ago in Sarisbury Green, highlighting our commitment to enhancing the standards of care in the region.

“We want to thank the Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor David Shields, for coming along to our topping out ceremony and we can’t wait to give members of the community the grand tour once the home’s interior is complete!”

Neil Carter, Managing Director at Carter Lauren Construction Limited, added: “We’re delighted to celebrate this exciting milestone on our second project for Care UK. Working on another high-quality care home with Care UK is a fantastic opportunity, and we’re proud to be contributing to a project that will make a real difference in the community. 

“In addition to delivering a top-tier facility, we’re also pleased to provide employment opportunities for local people throughout the construction process. We look forward to completing and handing over a state-of-the-art care home for Care UK to move into."

The Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor David Shields, added: “I was really honoured to take part in the topping out ceremony with Care UK and AECOM at The Wickets on Tuesday. This high-quality nursing care home construction aside the supported retirement living development will be positively transformative for this part of our city. Great work all round.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, The Wickets will incorporate plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies.  The home features secure and wheelchair-friendly landscaped outdoor space will include sensory gardens, water features and seating, to allow residents to spend quality time outdoors.

The layout of the building will be configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.