Former Woods Court Care Home, off Walker Close in Newark, receives backing from Newark Town Council’s planning committee
Plans to redevelop a former care home site after years lying empty have received backing from a council despite misgivings over its design.
In 2015, it was announced by Nottinghamshire County Council that its Woods Court Care Home, off Walker Close in Newark, would close.
In the years since, a number of planning applications have been submitted to bring the site back into use, however, none were successful.
Last year, plans to convert the former care home into a GP surgery were refused for a variety of reasons, with the loss of dozens of mature trees in order to expand the car park raised as a major issue.
The latest plans, submitted by Torsion Care Ltd, would see the former Woods Court demolished and a new three-storey care home built in its place, with a smaller footprint.
The new building would feature 66 beds, with associated parking and cycle storage, a secure garden with additional planting of native species and landscaping.
To facilitate this a total of 12 trees will need to be removed, however, this is significantly less than what had been proposed in previous applications for the site.
Newark Town Council’s planning committee reviewed the application at their latest meeting, with members expressing their support and enthusiasm that the site would be used again.
Barbara Corrigan said: “I think the parking issue has been much reduced, as a care home will naturally require far less parking spaces compared to the requirements of a busy GP surgery.
“Although it is a shame the current building cannot be reused, I can see why they would want to build their own, for their own purposes.
“I am also pleased to see a clear attempt to retain as many trees as possible, and that the building has been designed in a way that most residents will be able to see those trees.”
Despite her praise, Ms Corrigan admitted that she found the aesthetic design of the building to be “uninspired”.
She added: “It does not match the local area at all, and is surrounded by a lot of Georgian architecture.
“What about having an appearance that fits into the look of the conservation area?
“To me it is a little bit of a shame, and it’s like they have fallen at the final hurdle.”
Committee vice chairman Tom Collier echoed her comments, saying: “I agree it is a good functional layout for something that is necessary, but disappointing that the architectural design is not as inspiring as it could have been.”
A suggestion was made that the applicant re-evaluates the style of bricks and windows used in the plans.
Laurence Goff said: “The care home needs to be occupied. It needs to be open and used again, and so I am very much in favour of these plans.”
He also expressed his hope that wildlife on site would be considered during the construction process to ensure habitats won’t be destroyed and the “birds, bees, and bats will still be there after development.”
Committee chairman Lisa Geary added: “It has a smaller footprint than the current building, but will be three-stories. Although, it won’t be dominant as the trees will hide it from view.
“It also does not necessarily need a lot of parking for all staff as there is a bus stop on the main road, it’s not far from the train stations, and local people can walk or cycle.”
She requested that funding be made available to install a bus shelter to make the use of public transport more appealing and comfortable for visitors and staff members alike.
The planning committee voted to support the application, but addressing further concerns about parking, said they wanted to see a condition added that no on-street parking would be allowed on neighbouring streets such as Walker Close.
