Residents raise concerns over children’s home appeal plans

Opponents of plans to open a small children’s home on a quiet street have expressed frustration that it could go ahead despite being rejected by planners.

Opponents of plans to open a small children’s home on a quiet street have expressed frustration that it could go ahead despite being rejected by planners.

But the care company behind the project intended for Thornton’s Pheasants Wood estate says the welfare of children are at the heart of the plans and the scheme is perfectly acceptable in planning terms.

Aspirer Care launched an appeal against Wyre’s decision and now their case will be ruled on at a forthcoming hearing by the Planning Inspectorate.

In June this year, Wyre Council’s planning committee threw out the proposals by Aspirer for a small children’s home for no more than two children in a detached property on Myrtle Avenue.

The councillors rejected the scheme despite the fact that the planning officer involved had recommended it for approval after advising that it was fully acceptable from a planning perspective.

The application was brought to the committee by Pheasants Wood ward member, Cllr Andrea Kay, who said residents had raised concerns over increased parking pressure, increased traffic movements on a quiet residential street, potential obstruction to emergency vehicles and the impact on the quiet residential character of the area.

More than 30 residents formally objected to the original application and objectors have now written to the Planning Inspectorate to opposethe appeal.

WHAT OPPONENTS SAY

This week Cllr Kay said: “It is really frustrating that despite the fact this scheme has already been rejected by Wyre’s planning committee, and the fact that Lancashire County Council has made it clear there is no actual need for more children’s homes in the county, it could still go ahead if the appeal is successful.

“It totally undermines the work of planning committees and the democratic process.
“This is a private company rather than a council-owned one, providing a service which is not actually needed in Lancashire or in Thornton because there is already enough provision for children from Lancashire.

“There are already 10 of these within a mile radius of Myrtle Avenue.

“Apart from that, the street in question is a tiny cul-de-sac whose residents are overwhelmingly elderly. It is not a suitable place for this scheme and the committee made that clear, after members went on a site visit. Yet here we are again having to face this application.”

Resident Chris Broom, 67, said: “There are no other children on the street and I am probably one of the youngest residents. Around 75 percent of the people here are pensioners.

“The access on our street is not great – it is very narrow and there have already been a number of incidents where our cars have been bumped by larger vehicles coming in because there is not a great deal of room.

“When councillors made a site visit, they saw the situation for themselves and even asked if it was always that tight. It is.

“To try and bring in a children’s home, with staff and visitors coming in and out everyday, will only make things worse.

“In addition to that, the deeds to these houses stress that they are intended for family occupancy only and that no businesses should be operated here.

“On many levels, this children’s home, intended for this street, is not a good idea and the thought it might still be granted permission is causing serious concern.”

CARE COMPANY’S VIEW

However, Arron Darwen, director of Aspirer Care, said: “We fully respect the right of residents to ask questions and raise legitimate concerns about any planning proposal in their neighbourhood.

“However, we believe it is equally important that the public discussion around 18 Myrtle Avenue is based on the actual proposal, the technical evidence and the way the home would operate, rather than assumptions about children’s homes or hypothetical scenarios which do not reflect our plans.

“This is precisely why we have appealed.

“The proposal is for a small, family-style home for no more than two children or young people within an existing detached residential property. It is not a large institution, emergency accommodation or a high-turnover facility. It would remain a house, look like a house and, for the children living there, most importantly, be their home.

“The Council’s own professional planning officers recommended that the application should be approved. In presenting the application to committee, officers concluded that the proposal would not cause unacceptable harm to neighbouring residential amenity and would not result in a significant adverse impact upon highway safety, capacity or local amenity.

“Despite that professional recommendation, members voted to refuse the application.

He added: “This appeal is not about choosing between residents and children. It is about whether vulnerable children should have the same opportunity every family wants for their own child — a safe home, caring adults, stability, belonging and the chance to build a better future.

“We believe those children can be welcomed into a community without taking anything away from the people who already call it home.”