Agenda item

Full: Change of use from dwelling (Use Class C3a) to residential care (Use Class C2) for one child.

Mr Adam Birkett, Chief Planning and Transformation Officer presented the application to the committee.

The property is a detached dwellinghouse on Bluebell Way which is 2 storeys, 3 bedrooms, bathroom and ensuite, kitchen, dining room, lounge, garden room, snug, utility room, hallway and accessible wc. The property benefits from 2 parking spaces.

The application details a change of use from a dwelling (C3a) to a residential care (C2) for one child, this would be the child’s main residence and carers would attend on a rota/shift basis.

16 Objections had been received from neighbouring properties.

Lancashire County Councils Children’s Services provided objections to the application as per the report.

No Objections were received from Lancashire County Council Highways or Hyndburn Borough Councils Environmental Health Team.

The application was recommended for Refusal as per the report.

Members of the Committee discussed the application, paying particular attention to the new Supplementary Planning Guidance in relation to Children’s Care Homes. Members agreed across the board that the guidance was helpful in coming to a decision and allowed for weight to be given appropriately to prevalent concerns such as the proximity to an existing care home and how this would likely change the residential character of the area.

Members emphasised that they understood the need for Children’s Care Homes but that the types of locations and properties they operate from need to be appropriate.

Resolved – Members of the committee voted unanimously to refuse the application as per officer recommendation noted below.

1. The proposed Children’s Care Home is located within a residential area, in close proximity to another similar care home on the same residential road. It would provide two off-street parking spaces which would be insufficient to accommodate staff cars during the shift-change period, and cars of other persons visiting the premises, resulting in vehicles parking on the street and due to the narrow highway width likely parking partly on the footway. There would be a cumulative impact arising from the proposed use together with the existing use which would adversely affect the safety and convenience of pedestrians and other road users, and would detrimentally change the established residential character of the area in conflict with policies Env7 of the Hyndburn Core Strategy and DM32 of the Development Management DPD and contrary to the Children’s Residential & Supported Accommodations SPG.

2. The proposed development, by virtue of its failure to demonstrate a local need and its nature and scale failing to align with Lancashire Children's Services commissioning strategies is contrary the Children’s Residential & Supported Accommodations SPG and the National Planning Policy Framework.

N.B. – 1. Jaqueline Rawston – Spoke against the application.

·         Noted that this is the 6^th application of a similar nature on this estate.

·         The previous application for this address was refused and looking at the report there does not appear to have been any changes to address these reasons for refusal.

·         The supplementary Planning Guidance addresses the concerns of the residence considering the location of the property in conjunction with the existing care home.

·         Asks members to refuse the application as per the report.