Planners make ruling on Blackpool care home

Proposals to extend a Blackpool care home have been thrown out by planners after the scheme was judged to be over development.
The Golden Years Care Home - picture by GoogleThe Golden Years Care Home - picture by Google
The Golden Years Care Home - picture by Google

The Golden Years Rest Home on Shaftsbury Avenue, North Shore, currently occupies a pair of semi-detached properties, but the operators had wanted to take over a third semi-detached house and build an extension to link all three.

This would enable capacity to increase from 21 residents to 26, as well as provide additional facilities.

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But Blackpool Council’s planning committee refused the application because of the impact it would have on the occupiers of neighbouring houses.

The scheme, which had attracted 13 letters of objection and 22 letters of support, also contravened planning rules to prevent over intensive development.

Care homes are banned from occupying more than 10 per cent of a residential block under planning policy in order to limit their impact on the character of any particular neighbourhood.

Objectors said the development would lead to noise disturbance for immediate neighbours, increase traffic problems and spoil the character of the area.

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Kara Herrington, representing Golden Years, said the home had never received a noise complaint in the 30 years it had operated, while part of the reason for seeking to expand was to be able to provide an isolation space for people suffering from Covid-19.

But councillors said the scheme breached planning policy and refused to grant the application.