New 78-bed care home village and 29 apartments approved in Daventry despite 'over development' objections
A new care village, which will offer a 78-bed care home and nearly 30 extra care apartments in a town centre location, has been given the go-ahead by the council.
Crown Care brought forward the plans for the mixed site off Welton Road, Daventry, to a West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) planning committee last week.
The site, which is located between the Welton Road Cemetery and allotments to the south, proposes a 78-bed care home which will be connected to 29 extra care apartments within a three-storey building. This will be offered alongside 12 semi-detached homes which will front Welton Road.
Occupation of the semi-detached units and close care apartments will be restricted to those aged 55 and over, or being the spouse or dependant of such a person.
Seven letters of objection were submitted to the plans alongside opposition from Daventry Town Council.
Cllr Keith Astley, who spoke on behalf of the town council, acknowledged the need for this type of provision in the town, but said the care village should be turned down due to the overdevelopment of the site and traffic concerns from the extra trips generated by the development.
He also said that permission for the land to be used as a care village would remove any possibility for the town council to extend the cemetery in the future, which they say is already nearing capacity.
Concerns were also raised by the Daventry Allotment and Garden Association about the impact that the new development would have on the allotment community, given the construction of the homes would also involve the demolition of a local shop used by the community within the site boundary.
The agent for the application told the committee that the client was “committed to replacing the shop building”, but it would not be on the land he owns.
A previous proposal for the site, which included an 85-bed care home, 24 extra care apartments and 16 independent living maisonette units, was approved in 2019, however the agent said that the planning permission lapsed due to complications around Covid.
She added: “The development seeks to create a village setting with a range of accommodation types. It seeks to install confidence in occupiers, ensuring them they can hold onto their independence and receive a custom level of care.
“This will provide an opportunity for prospective residents to be attracted from the immediate vicinity, therefore maintaining close relationships with family and friends.”
The WNC planning committee voted to approve the plans on Thursday, May 7.