Newark and Sherwood District Council to decide on plans to expand Rainworth mental health facility

A mental health care facility could be expanded to provide 42 new beds and bring more than 100 jobs to the area.

There are concerns there is an unmet mental health need, meaning patients are allocated space elsewhere in Nottinghamshire.

Cygnet Healthcare, which provides services such as mental health rehabilitation and recovery, is looking to expand its existing facilities in Rainworth.

The company has submitted a planning application to Newark and Sherwood District Council to expand its Sherwood Lodge unit at Rufford Colliery Lane, creating a purpose-built 44-bed mental health unit around a central courtyard.

The layout of the building would be over two storeys, with two wards and accommodation located on the ground floor.

There will also be 42 carparking spaces, including three disabled spaces.

Newark and Sherwood District Council will decide the application.

Rainworth Parish Council has objected to the plans, saying the volume of patients would take the combined total of beds on the site to more than 100.

The council also said it would impact on GP surgeries and dentists in the village, which it described as overstretched.

Planning officers at Newark and Sherwood District Council said the proposal would provide in the region of 137 full-time jobs, which it called a significant level of employment.

In planning documents, the council added: “The evidence provided is well-substantiated and officers do not seek to dispute that there is a significant unmet mental health need with an increase in people using mental health services at a time where the number of adult inpatient beds is being reduced.

“Nottingham specifically has been identified as one of the areas with consistently high rates of inappropriate out of area placements.

“Between November 1 and November 30, 2021, of 110 placements made within the Midlands area, 105 of these placements were classed as inappropriate.

“On the basis of the information provided, officers disagree with the parish council concerns that the area is saturated with such facilities.”

The council said the site has planning permission for a similar form of development, but it is at a much smaller scale.

The site is also within the open countryside.

“The applicant has sufficiently justified that there is a significant demand for the development proposed in this location and of this scale,” the council said.

“No harm has been identified in respect to other material considerations such as character, ecology or amenity and therefore the benefits of the proposal in providing a much needed community facility and the associated employment levels can be afforded determinative weight.”

Officers have recommended that planning permission is granted.

Councillors will meet to decide the fate of the application on Tuesday, April 12.