Failed care home to become 'luxury' hotel and spa

The Elms closed in 2023 after it admitted to "shortcomings in care" and failures in local leadership

A former care home that closed after admitting to "shortcomings in care" could become a "luxury" hotel and spa.

Fenland District Council has approved plans to convert the former Elms Care Home on Arnolds Lane in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, into a hotel.

The care home, run by HC-One, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shortly before it closed in 2022 - and was rated inadequate.

The company behind the latest project, MHM Properties Ltd, said it wanted to make the property into a "luxury and immersive guest experience".

Several people wrote to the district council in support of the plans

In its planning application the company said it intended to "slightly" increase the car park and to construct "small thermal spa and tranquil outdoor experiences and an outdoor vitality pool".

It said the ground would be landscaped and existing "dilapidated outdoor structures" would be removed.

Alongside the refurbishment, a single storey extension was also proposed to create room for a leisure swimming pool and fitness suite.

Further changes are proposed within the grounds of the site to create some of the new spa facilities, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Several people wrote to the district council after the plans were first submitted.

Supporting the plans, one person said opening a "quality establishment" was "very much needed in the town" as another added a hotel and spa would be a "great fit for such a stunning building".

A woman who had known the building since she was a child, said she was glad to see proposals to turn it into a hotel and spa.

"The threepenny bit shaped building at the end used to be a solicitor's office in which I worked in the top room," she said.

"Then things changed, the lady of the manor passed away and the solicitors moved premises and the estate was dealt with/sold off and a care home emerged.

"This was a shocking state of affairs as they joined the house and offices together and added an awful kitchen/laundry room extension, which totally ruined the look of the property."

The developer has three years to start work on the project to convert the building.