East Anglian care provider Kingsley Healthcare has sealed a multi-million pound deal for the purchase and refurbishment of new offices in Lowestoft.

CEO Daya Thayan said the move into the former Suffolk County Council owned five-storey Clapham House in the town centre was a statement of their commitment to the area as they pursue a £200 million-plus expansion plan to become a familiar national brand within five years.

He said: 'We started in Lowestoft with one home and by acquiring Clapham House and completely refurbishing it to make it a fit-for-the-future building, we have further committed to stay in this area and create more jobs. That has always been our cornerstone.'

The headcount of 47 at Kingsley's present 2,700sq ft headquarters in the town's School Road will progressively rise to more than 100 at the 13,000sq ft Clapham House.

Mr Thayan said: 'We will immediately be looking to increase our head office staff by 20 with a range of new administration, IT, accounting and customer service roles.'

He said the new offices, to be renamed Kingsley House, would provide conference and training facilities and an enhanced environment for staff and visitors.

By the time the refurbishment was finished next summer the project would have significantly contributed to the regeneration of the area.

The dementia care specialist, which started 15 years ago with one home in Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft, now has 24 homes.

The pace of the company's advance across the UK is shown by its acquisition of four new freehold properties - in Woodbridge, Colchester, Dorset and Cheshire - in just the past few months.

Construction work has also begun on a 62-bedroom home at Partington, in Cheshire, which will be the first of a new-build programme delivering about four new homes a year over the next six or seven year period.

Mr Thayan, who has just been nominated for a national award - the HealthInvestor Power 50 honouring the most influential leaders in independent health care - said their expansion would see staffing levels grow from 1,200 to 3,000 over the next five years.

To fuel the expansion, Kingsley is launching a rolling apprenticeships programme and graduate recruitment scheme; its multi-million pound home in Partington will have a training academy attached.