Care home expansion plan set to be rejected
SCALED-BACK plans to extend a Bristol dementia facility are set to be rejected after the city council threw out an earlier proposal in a decision that was backed by a planning inspector.
Meadowcare Homes wants to add 14 extra beds to Glenview Nursing Home in Belvedere Road, Redland, by converting three flats in a building next door.
But the plans are controversial because the street contains two other care homes, and residents have already said that extending the third would make their lives “intolerable”.
Meadowcare’s original proposal to add 17 bedrooms to the 40-bed facility was turned down in May of last year after residents provided photographic evidence of a “constant stream of delivery vans, ambulances and hearses” blocking the road due to a lack of available parking.
A Bristol City Council planning committee rejected the application on the basis the extension would create road safety issues, overwhelm the street with care beds, and worsen existing issues such as noise and rubbish.
Meadowcare appealed the decision, but a government planning inspector sided with the council and dismissed the appeal on the grounds the extension would harm highway safety.
Inspector John Longmuir wrote in his March 10 decision: “The parking situation results in vehicles often having to park in the middle of the road.
“This causes congestion and conflict which is exacerbated by two-way working and creates a hazard for all road users.”
Councillors are due to consider the revised plans on Friday, June 11, after pulling the application for 14 extra beds from a March meeting to consider the findings of the appeal.
The proposal, which also includes the addition of two loading bays on Belvedere Road, has received 112 objections and 109 comments in support.
Officers have prepared a report for councillors recommending they refuse the application.
The report states: “Whilst there may be a slight reduction in demand for visitor parking associated with the reduction in beds from 17 to 14, this is not considered sufficiently different to the refused scheme and it is concluded that this proposal would worsen an existing situation where on-street parking is at a premium.
“The applicant is proposing to install two loading bays along Belvedere Road to address the current issues surrounding servicing of the development.
“The appeal decision noted that the installation of these bays would help to avoid emergency services/deliveries stopping in the middle of the road, however they would also be in high demand for the variety of proposed servicing uses and would result in a further loss of on-street parking, which would worsen the existing situation.
“It is likely that the proposed change of use would cause further congestion and conflict, exacerbated by two-way working and would create a hazard for all road users.
“It is recommended that the application is refused on the basis of the impact upon highway safety resulting from a lack of available parking in the area.”