Erection of a 60 bed (maximum) care home for the elderly.

Erection of a 60 bed (maximum) care home for the elderly.

The Senior Planning Officer gave a presentation on the application and updates / additional representations received following the publication of the agenda were provided; the schedule of committee updates is appended to these minutes.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Mr Sneddon, the applicant, spoke in support of the application.

In accordance with paragraph 4.8.2.2 of the Council’s Constitution, Councillor AE Gray, one of the local ward members, commented on a number of issues, including;

• Agreed with the points raised by the applicant in respect of circular 03-2005
• The application had not been discussed with the regulatory body
• The local member felt that there must be evidence that the care commissioner had been consulted prior to any application being granted.

In accordance with paragraph 4.8.2.2 of the Council’s Constitution, Councillor PGH Cutter, the other local ward member, commented on a number of issues, including;

• Advised Members of the layout of the site and the location of the neighbouring industrial units.
• The nearest shop was approximately 1 mile away from the proposed development.
• Neither the Traffic Manager nor the Economic Development Manager were in favour of the application.
• The applicant had permission for 3 retail units on the site, these were more in keeping with the area than a residential use.
• The application was contrary to policy CF7 as the application was not in an existing residential area.

Members felt that the elderly deserved the right to live out their latter years in dignity and peace and that the proposed application would not enable this due to its location on an industrial estate. They felt that it was therefore contrary to Policy CF7 of the Unitary Development Plan and was not in keeping with local or national care policies.

It was noted that jobs would be created by granting the application but Members felt that this would not alleviate the concerns raised in respect of the suitability of the site.

It was noted that the Committee had recently granted permission for a care home on Faraday Road on industrial land and some Members questioned how this proposal differed.

The Head of Development Management advised Members that the application needed to be determined on land use considerations only. He added that the need, or lack of need, for the care home was not a material planning consideration.

The Committee noted the letter from Dr Rogers, detailed in the updates sheet, regarding his concerns about care provision for the elderly in Ross.

The Committee noted that the Unitary Development Plan stated at 13.5.3, that, ‘residential care homes should be located within areas that are suitable for other forms of residential accommodation and ideally be situated close to local services and public transport routes.’

In summing up the Committee felt that the application should be refused as there was an inappropriate relationship between employment land and the care home; the application was contrary to Policy CF7 of the Unitary Development  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17

Erection of a 60 bed (maximum) care home for the elderly.

Erection of a 60 bed (maximum) care home for the elderly.

The Senior Planning Officer gave a presentation on the application and updates / additional representations received following the publication of the agenda were provided; the schedule of committee updates is appended to these minutes. He also reported the receipt of a further 16 letters of support which were received after the update sheet had been produced.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Mr Sneddon, the applicant’s agent, spoke in support of the application.

In accordance with paragraph 4.8.2.2 of the Council’s Constitution, Councillor PGH Cutter, one of the local ward members, commented on a number of issues which had been raised by Councillor AE Gray, the other local ward member, these included:

• The site would have to be registered and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
• The Commission for Social Care Inspection felt that there were too many care homes within Herefordshire and recommended a move towards care within the community.
• Would a care home in an industrial area be appropriate?
• The loss of employment land would be a concern within Ross-on-Wye.
• The concerns raised by the traffic manager were echoed.

He went on to comment on further issues, including:

• The applicant stated in a recent letter that ‘Activity generated by the road and office block would create interest for the residents’, this statement was disputed.
• The applicants were well regarded within Ross-on-Wye and they had generated a number of new jobs through previous applications, however the current application was not suitable.
• The Southern Area Planning Committee had approved permission for 3 retail units on the site.
• Planting offered in a previous application had still not taken place.
• 6a Alton Road had stated that the noise emanating from their development exceeded levels stated in the applicant’s noise report.
• It was imperative that comments were received from the adult social care team before any decision was made.
• The application should be deferred until the comments from the adult social care team were received.

Members discussed the application and noted that both local and national policies had seen a move to care for people in their own homes. They also noted that the 8 care homes in the area offered a total of 232 beds with only 57 of these purchased by the Council. It was also noted that this number was unlikely to increase.

In response to a question, the Head of Development Management advised Members that the social care team had been consulted but that no response had been received.

Councillor Cutter was given the opportunity to close the debate in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. He reiterated the issues raised in his opening statement.

RESOLVED

That determination of the application be deferred pending consultation with the adult social care team.