“Unacceptable” plans to knock down a bungalow on Canvey Island and build a 20-bedroom care home are set to be thrown out due to a number of concerns, including neighbours being overlooked, flood risk and harm to the area.
The Your Property Investment Group has applied for permission for the demolition of the existing bungalow and the erection of a nursing care home with associated parking at186 Canvey Road.
Castle Point Borough Council is set to refuse the plans at a meeting on September 3, with concerns being raised about the proposals. The documents for the meeting show the council officer considers the proposed building would have an “unacceptable impact on the neighbouring dwelling house by virtue of overlooking and dominance, which is of sufficient weight to attract a recommendation of refusal.”
The council officer’s report states that the bedrooms would be located on the upper floors with communal areas on the ground floor, including the lounge and dining areas, office, kitchen facilities, staff room and areas for plant and bin storage. Plans also state a further communal lounge and function area would be on the first floor, with a staff sleepover room, admin office, medicine station and care bedrooms.
If agreed the development would also include ten parking spaces, partly under an overhang of the proposed building. NHS bosses were among consultees and say the proposals would increase demand on existing GP practices in the area, and that if agreed a contribution of £4,500 would be “required to mitigate this impact and provide additional capacity at the GP practices.”
The report states: “Notwithstanding the fact that the proposal would provide a care home for which there is an identified need, as well as re-using a previously developed site, the proposed building would have an unacceptable impact on the neighbouring dwelling house by virtue of overlooking and dominance, which is of sufficient weight to attract a recommendation of refusal.
“Furthermore, no contribution or appropriate assessment to mitigate the identified harm the proposal would cause to protected habitats under the Essex Coast Recreational Disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) has been made. Therefore the proposal would have unmitigated harm on protected habitat sites which garners significant weight against the proposal.”