Rural home for vulnerable children approved

The hamlet of Whashton Green comprises just five households

A home for children who have suffered trauma and exploitation has been approved in a small hamlet despite concerns from residents.

North Yorkshire Council has granted a certificate of lawful use for the detached property in Whashton Green, near Richmond, to operate as a home for children in care.

The application was submitted on behalf of A Wilderness Way Ltd, a care provider which works with children in crisis.

The company already has homes in Cumbria, Northumberland and Lanarkshire, and said its secluded properties aimed to provide a "peaceful, safe and rural" home for the children.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, supporting documents state the home would be occupied by one child, aged between eight and 17, at a time, as well as two carers.

"The child would have a bedroom that could be locked for privacy, with the carers having a master key should it be required.

"The carers (no more than two at any one time) would have their own bedrooms for when they are staying at the property."

'Safety concerns'

Whashton Parish Meeting said some residents had concerns about the behaviour of the occupants and said they would prefer the property to be used by a family.

One objector said: "[The property] is not set in the wilderness in open countryside, but in the small hamlet of Whashton Green, which comprises five households, three of which are occupied by elderly and possibly vulnerable pensioners, who have all expressed concerns of safety.

"[There is] also a holiday business, which could be seriously affected by the arrival of a care home for disturbed young adults."

Issuing the certificate, North Yorkshire Council ruled that planning permission was not required as there was no material change in the use of the house.

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