Agenda item

Refused, reasons to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNS/2022/2442/FUL for retrospective change of use from a residential care home (C2) to a large HMO/Hostel accommodation (sui-generis) at Westgate House Nursing Home, Eastcote Road, Gayton for Midlands Living CIC.

Carl Hamilton, on behalf of Gayton Parish Council, addressed the Committee in objection to the application on the grounds that Gayton, being a small village with limited amenities, was an inappropriate location for such a proposal.

Helen Smith and Pete Hughes, on behalf of the applicant Midlands Living, addressed the Committee in support of the application, outlining that there was a nationwide shortage of accommodation for refugees and displaced persons arriving in the United Kingdom from overseas, therefore the application should be considered against this national context.

Councillor Karen Cooper, the local ward member for Bugbrooke, addressed the Committee and provided an overview of the application and a summary of issues that had been raised locally, which centred around concerns that Gayton was a remote village with a lack of infrastructure, limited public transport links, and inadequate facilities and amenities to support the proposed development.

It was proposed by Councillor William Barter that the application be deferred to allow for a meeting to be held between the applicant, Midlands Living, and local stakeholders to allow some of the issues that had been highlighted to be resolved. The proposal was not seconded, and the motion subsequently fell.

It was proposed by Councillor Karen Cooper and seconded by Councillor Ken Pritchard that the application be refused in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with nine votes cast in favour of the proposal and no votes cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

Resolved

(1)  That application WNS/2022/2442/FUL be refused for the following reasons:

Principle

1.    The proposed development would be isolated in the open countryside with the nearest settlement being a small village with inadequate services and facilities to accommodate the proposed use. The proposed use would also not meet the definition of the housing types that can be acceptable outside of settlement confines, as per the policies of the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan, while also failing to satisfy the circumstances in which isolated homes in the countryside would be acceptable, as per paragraph 80 of the NPPF. The operation of the proposed use would also be incompatible with the character of the nearby village of Gayton. The proposed development would therefore not be sustainably located and would be contrary to Policies SA, S1, S10 and R1 of the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) and Policies SS1 and SS2 of the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan as well as paragraph 80 of the NPPF.

Loss of Care Home

2.    The proposed development would result in the loss of an existing care home to other uses. The proposal is therefore contrary to the aims of the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan which identifies a need for additional residential and nursing care facilities and is specifically contrary to the aims of Policy LH7 which addresses this unmet need by supporting the provision of new residential and nursing care on suitable sites. The application also fails to clearly justify this loss by setting out mitigating material planning circumstances which would outweigh LH7, such as viability information. The proposed development also fails the tests set out in paragraph 78 of the NPPF since the proposal would fail to respond to local circumstances and provide housing that reflect local needs. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy LH7 of the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan and paragraph 78 of the NPPF.

Highways Impacts

3.    The proposed development would be unsustainably located and would not provide adequate public transport access to future occupants of the development. The proposed development result in an increase of vehicle movements on the local highway network which comprises of roads that are narrow and unlit and are therefore unsuitable to manage an increased level of traffic. The application site can also be accessed by a 60mph single lane unlit country road with no footpath which would pose an unacceptable risk to potential occupants. The proposed development is therefore contrary to Policy SS2 of the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan, Policy C2 of the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy as well as paragraphs 111 and 112 of the NPPF.