Retirement village expansion plans refused again

Neighbours said the expansion plans were 'overbearing'

Plans to extend a retirement village have been refused for a second time.

The company behind Beaufort Park in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, had applied to build 11 extra apartments at its site on Rectory Road.

Beaufort Park Ltd, part of care provider Agincare, argued the town needs more accommodation for elderly people living independently.

But a neighbour said the proposals would “destroy the peace and quiet” of the area.

Beaufort Park was a former girls school and is comprised of ensuite rooms in the main building and a number of self-contained flats in its grounds.

A bid to expand the site was first rejected by Somerset Council’s planning committee north, the body handling major applications in the former Sedgemoor area, in July 2023.

Resubmitted plans featured an L-shaped development on the southern and eastern boundaries of the site and involved the demolition of a number of existing buildings.

The proposals also included additional car parking and the creation of a new “sunken garden” for residents, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Totally inadequate'

Jennifer Turco, who lives on Rectory Road, said the updated plans were “significantly worse than the first”.

She told a committee meeting that noise from additional vehicles parking would “destroy the peace and quiet connected with Rectory Road’s sought-after character”.

Graham King, who lives on Gardenhurst to the north of the site, said proposals for extra parking were “totally inadequate”.

It said the development would cause “loss of privacy and disturbance” if given the go-ahead.

Beaufort Park was previously a girls' school

Gill Slocombe, councillor for Bridgwater West, said she would feel uncomfortable living so close to such a large development.

“I have to say the close proximity of this big building to me does seem quite overbearing – it seems like quite an enormous building to go into this area.”

Councillor Tony Grimes, whose Brent division borders the site, said: “It’s huge - the shadowing will result in loss of light, and it’s out of character with the surrounding buildings. It’s just in the wrong place.”

Mike Murphy, councillor for Burnham on Sea North, said that the resubmitted plans had a “much bigger footprint” than the originals.

He described them as “overbearing” and “unneighbourly”.

The committee voted unanimously to refuse permission at a meeting on 14 May.