Old Kingston care home to be replaced with 45 council homes despite 555 objections
An old care home in Kingston will be bulldozed for 45 new council homes, despite the plans receiving 555 objections.
The council has approved plans to convert Murray House into homes for elderly people and adults with learning disabilities.
The development will include a four-storey block containing 30 flats for elderly residents, along with a row of three bungalows.
A three-storey block with 12 flats for adults with learning disabilities will also be built. Kingston council will offer all the homes at social rent.
Each home will have a private outdoor space, and each block will have a communal courtyard. A new walkway will be created between the blocks, linking Acre Road and Elm Road.
Murray House shut in 2018 due to falling demand, with the care watchdog finding in 2017 that the number of people permanently living at the care home on Acre Road had decreased.
A report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the inspection said more than half of the care home's bedrooms were continuously vacant.
The new homes will provide supported living services to help residents be as independent as possible, with the support provided varying from a few hours a week to round-the-clock care.
Residents will have their own tenancy and be responsible for paying their bills.
The size of the development sparked concern among residents, however, with the council receiving 555 objections to the application.
Adam Greaves, who has lived in the area for six years, urged the council's planning committee to delay its decision on the proposals so they could be improved on March 26.
Mr Greaves said the scheme did not follow policy as the blocks were too big and out of character with the area, leading to overshadowing, loss of privacy, and loss of light for existing residents.
He raised concerns that The Wych Elm, a pub that shares a boundary with the site, would be negatively impacted as the new homes would be very close to its beer garden.
Mr Greaves said: "The plans propose to house adults with learning disabilities within metres of The Wych Elm garden area – the most vulnerable people next to where there will be, and should be, noise until 11.30pm.
"This aspect has clearly not been adequately considered."
He added: "We strongly oppose the planned proposal for Murray House in its current submission due to its profound negative effects on the community.
The development threatens to degrade residential amenities and, as I've outlined, violates a number of established planning policies.
But consultant Jon Turner, representing the application, said the policy also favoured proposals to redevelop suitable brownfield land to meet urgent housing needs.
He said the development was designed to 'the highest quality and officers have confirmed the proposal optimises the site and creates a welcoming and distinctive addition to the street scene'.
Mr Turner added: "The site has been vacant since March 2020 and has suffered from significant deterioration and anti-social behaviour over the last five years.
"Its redevelopment represents a significant opportunity to make best use of a council asset to contribute to alleviating housing pressures within the borough."
Council officers, who recommended approval of the application, said in a report most of the surrounding properties would still get enough daylight to meet target levels, while any reduction in daylight below these levels was acceptable.
They ruled the development would not have an unacceptable impact on residents in terms of loss of privacy by overlooking.
Councillors expressed concern about the size of the development, but some said this was outweighed by the need for more homes for Kingston's ageing population.
Lib Dem councillor Olly Wehring said: "This is a brownfield site that is publicly owned, not by a big bad council, it's owned by us, and there is a need, there is 100 per cent a need."
Lib Dem councillor Roger Hayes added: "I do understand that there is some vocal objection to this, but, really, I do not believe that this is an inappropriate building.
"I think it will do a good job, and it will provide us with very much-needed accommodation."
The council's planning committee approved the application at the end of the meeting.
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