Firm submits new plans for a care home on old farm
THE company behind a plan to build a new care home on the site of a former farm off Wyaston Road has resubmitted a redesigned planning application, after the first one was refused.
Perseus Land and Developments wants to build the 70-bedroom residential care facility on the land occupied by Leys Farm, which is opposite Hilltop Primary School and is flanked by modern twostorey houses.
The first application was refused in the early summer because of concerns residential units on the site would overlook neighbouring homes, and because the design of the building was dubbed “incongruous”.
However the Northamptonshirebased developer has gone back to Derbyshire Dales District Council’s planners with a more consolidated building on a smaller footprint, with a lower roof line.
The new plan does not include any clusters of residential dwellings, only the self-contained single-site care home building.
In a design and access statement put before planners recently, Perseus Land and Development’s planning agents Wrdunn explained the reasons for the previous refusal, and how the new layout sought to overcome the issues raised.
The firm said: “Planning officers recognised that significant amendments had been made to the scheme, but considered that the proposed care home, due to its height, scale and ‘wharf like’ design, was incongruous with its immediate context, which is characterised by relatively low density comprising of two-storey suburban development.
“With regard to the proposed dwellings, it was concluded that they would result in an over development of the site and that the inclusion of two- and-a-half-storey town houses was not appropriate to the suburban location.
“Officers were concerned about the size and scale of the proposed care home, with the inclusion of balconies at first-floor level and dormer windows along the northwest elevation, which would result in direct overlooking of adjoining residential gardens.
“All technical matters, including highways, ecology and trees, had been resolved satisfactorily with relevant statutory consultees and the main issues to resolve were therefore design-related. With this in mind, we are proposing an amended scheme for a care home and no residential dwellings, which we believe, will address the concerns raised by members and officers.”
The new design was first submitted
as a preapplication in August, which the district council’s planners said were more acceptable, and suggested some potential improvements before full planning permission was sought.
The new plan spreads the 70 bedrooms across one largely twostorey building, with 38 en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor and 32 on the first floor and a second floor with back of house accommodation.
Each wing provides a central nurse station and the main entrance opens up in to a spacious café and waiting area, with trees planted around the grounds and gardens.
Outside the building, the new design allows for more green space for residents and visitors, with large patios connecting to an “active” space, a multi-use lawn for summer games and a circulation path around the lawned area with a summer house.
Sensory and wildlife gardens would be planted in the landscaped grounds, along with trees to screen the development from neighbouring properties.
The public consultation phase of the planning application is ongoing, and a decision is due to be made early in the new year.