Plan to build care home on bus lay-by rejected

Plans were submitted to convert the site, along with offices, into a care home

Plans to turn a bus lay-by and offices into a 72-bed care home have been refused.

A planning application was submitted on behalf of Country Court Care LTD for the new home along with an apartment block of eight flats in Staniland Way, Werrington.

The area, formerly used as offices and a bus lay-by, has remained vacant since 2014 and spreads over 6,552 Sqm.

This week, Peterborough City Council rejected the application, and said the proposed development’s design and size would create “unacceptable harm” to the character of the area and would be “an unjustified” loss of open space.

According to the design statement, the development would have been contained within two buildings – a three-storey care home and an apartment block of two floors.

A café and winter garden area were also included in the plans.

Externally, the development would have provided 35 car parking spaces, three disabled spaces and six secure cycle parking spaces.

There would have also been a bin store area and landscaping around the building.

Cambridgeshire Police commented on the application and raised fears of unsatisfactory crime prevention measures and said there needed to be CCTV and indoor controlled locking systems.

Lack of trees

Open Space Management said, the plans for the private care home don’t justify the loss of the public open space and recommended the proposal should not go ahead.

In a letter to the applicant, Peterborough City Council said: “The proposed development would provide for only 44 parking spaces which falls below the adopted minimum parking standards for the mix of dwelling proposed.

“In addition, future occupiers would not be afforded satisfactory living conditions as within the care home, some units would be unacceptably affected by noise associated with the day-to-day running of the care home.

"The application fails to make provision for replacement bus stop, or an appropriate amount of tree planting and off-site open space, which are necessary as a direct consequence of the development.”