Appeal lodged over rejected retirement homes plan

An artist's impression of part of the proposed village

Plans for a retirement village on a former landfill site which were rejected by a local council on health grounds are to go to appeal.

The scheme, proposed for land near Vicarage Road, in Sunbury, was thrown out by Spelthorne Borough Council in October 2023 amid concerns the location could be contaminated.

A planning inspector will now review the application on 18 September.

No date has been set for an outcome of the review.

The first phase of the application included a village centre and 66 homes.

A second phase would include a further 98 extra care homes and a 60-bed care home.

The council meeting on 18 October was told a site investigation carried out by the applicant, Senior Living (Sunbury-on-Thames) Ltd, had revealed contaminated material in the land underneath the top layer.

But the meeting heard the exact nature of the material was not known.

The council's environmental health officers said the issue could be "sufficiently mitigated" subject to certain works.

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