Former care home to become a guesthouse

A former Surrey care home is being transformed into hotel rooms and shared housing.

The Elders, in Ewell, will become a 12-room guesthouse with an eight-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO), plus a manager's flat, after councillors approved the proposal on Thursday.

The decision by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council's planning committee follows a planning history of previous refusals and enforcement notices.

The scheme has divided opinion with some councillors saying they were uneasy about losing a care facility at a time when demand is only growing, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The building has been empty for several years and developers argue it is no longer suitable for modern care needs.

Planning documents reveal the HMO rooms are aimed at housing staff employed by the owner of the building in local care homes.

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