Whitby: Church House community centre could have assisted living accommodation

Plans for changes to the Church House Centre have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council

Plans to renovate and add assisted living accommodation to a community centre have been submitted to a Yorkshire council.

The Church House Centre on Flowergate, Whitby, supports community groups in the town offering coffee mornings and low-cost space for meetings.

The new plans propose new areas for the centre to provide specialist respite care for vulnerable people.

If approved, a new reception and food serving area would also be fitted.

Located in Whitby's conservation area, the Victorian-era Church House supports training sessions and one-to-ones.

The scheme, submitted to North Yorkshire Council, proposes providing more space to boost existing services and facilities as well as a change of use to a community centre with specialist accommodation services.

According to plans, an area on the lower ground floor level is "largely redundant", and would provide assisted living/respite/emergency accommodation to vulnerable local user groups, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The changes would allow more people to be helped, according to the applicant

The community centre has a floor area of around 495 sq m set over three floors but could be expanded by almost 100 sq m.

A new and improved "soup kitchen" would also be created by upgrading the kitchen and removing an internal wall.

No works have been proposed to the front of the building, however, the terrace at the rear is "not fit for purpose" plans say and would be improved with better access.

Planning documents state that a stepped access is proposed to the new terrace which could be used by both the community centre and visitors to the adjacent church "providing a semi-private terrace and garden for remembrance and reflection".

The applicant, Mike Smith of Untitled Properties Ltd, stated that approval of the plans would allow for the "provision of high-quality accommodation and enable the further enhancement of services provided to the community".

The proposal is currently pending consideration with the council and is open to representations from members of the public.