A PLAN for flats for OAPs at a Bentley
Heath field should be approved next week, a council planning officer has said.
The Solihull Metropolitan
Borough Council report says the 52-room, two-storey building at Four Ashes Road
Its design and impact on
neighbours and roads is acceptable, it adds. The planning committee will make a
decision on Wednesday on the Aspen Retirement Ltd plan.
The report says: “The
applicants assert that the proposal would provide much needed accommodation for
elderly people, whilst freeing up existing housing stock which would then be
available for sale on the open market.
“This is considered to be a
viable proposition, especially given the mix of dwelling units proposed which
comprise one and two bedroom units.”
It said the number of borough
over 75s is set to increase by 7,000 from 2008 to 2023, putting pressure on
housing.
The building will comprise
self-contained “extra care apartments” and provide support for independent living
and 29 parking spaces with access from Four Ashes Road
The report said the average
age will be 82 and residents will get meals, laundry, cleaning and 24-hour
support.
None of the council’s
departments – including highways – raised objections but eight residents
opposed the plan.
One said resident in Packwood
Close – which abuts the site – would be “significantly impacted through loss of
privacy”.
They added: “Building far too
large for the site and extremely close to boundary. Balconies will look
straight onto back garden and house.”
Another said: “Despite 40mph
speed limit cars travel too fast and visibility poor approaching railway
bridge.”
But
the planning officer says: “Whilst the
building is of a considerable bulk and scale, particularly in relation to the
surrounding grain of built form, it is acknowledged that the overall bulk is
minimised by the two-storey height of the proposed building, it’s ‘H’ shaped
form and buffer planting to the boundaries.”
The site has been marked as a
possible site for future development by the council and also for housing. A
plan for 38 homes was last year rejected by planners as too small.
Permission will require the
developer to give cash to expand full Arden
It comes after the committee
last month refused a plan for a 60-bed care home at part of the site owned by The
Old Silhillians Sports Club in Knowle.
Members said the plan – which
the club said was vital to pay for improvements to its facilities - would
damage the Green Belt.
The committee will meet at 4.30pm on Wednesday at the council’s offices next to
Touchwood. The public can attend.
