Extension plans for Wrexham care home set for approval

Plans to extend a local care home and increase the number of bedrooms available at the site, could be given the go ahead.

Members of Wrexham Council’s planning committee will debate the plans for Bay Tree House Care Home on Norman Road on Monday 4th September.

The facility offers residential care for people over the age of 60 who have Dementia, a mental health condition and physical disabilities.

This is the second application of its kind to have been submitted for the care home, with the first being refused on design grounds and inadequate parking provision.

The revised application, which was resubmitted in July 2017 proposes that the care home is extended to provide 47 bedrooms – an increase on the existing 36.

If approved the site would see an increase in parking spaces from nine to fourteen.

The report due before members of the planning committee also states that the works carried out at ground floor level would result in the creation of a coffee shop within the internal courtyard.

On the first floor the works would see extensions built to the rear, side and front elevations of the building.

The application has received supported by the Adult Social Care Department, which staees that the proposal supports the strategic direction of the department by increasing provision, including specialist provision for older people.

However concerns about the plans have been raised by the local councillor, who objects to the application due to the risk of increased parking on the highways, increase of traffic and the adverse visual and residential amenities of the area.

Similar comments about parking are raised by the highways department, who say that there would be shortfall in provision to accomodate the proposed development by 42% and that they require more information about the plans for the site.

Addressing the parking concerns, the head of environment and planning states in next week’s report that “the resultant shortfall as part of this proposal would not be any worse than the current situation” and that “it is considered that the proposed number of parking spaces would represent an improvement to the current situation, with a 42% shortfall as opposed to the current 50% shortfall”.

The report concludes: “The revised scheme is considered has overcome the previous reasons for refusal and the amendments made in relation to design and layout as well as additional parking provision are not considered would result in such adverse impacts to existing levels of visual amenity and highway safety levels, sufficient to warrant refusal of the scheme.”

The report will go before councillors at 4pm on Monday 4th September. For anyone who cannot attend the meeting, it will be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website here.