Developer criticises council after planning appeal

A developer has criticised a Nottinghamshire council for "a waste of time and public funds" after successfully appealing a bid to turn an empty nursing home into flats.

Gedling Borough Council rejected plans to convert Ernehale Lodge Nursing Home in Arnold into 19 apartments on 26 September last year, saying the site required 16 car park spaces rather than the 13 proposed.

Government inspectors sided with Waseem Shafiq after he appealed the decision and the council approved the development on 11 April.

The nursing home, which has been vacant since 2021, will see its current 21 bedrooms converted into 19 self-contained apartments, which includes one studio flat, 12 one-bed and six two-bed flats.

A report carried out by an inspector following a visit in March found the parking shortfall was not significant enough to justify its refusal, especially given the site's "sustainable" location.

There will be "sufficient off-street parking" that "would not result in a harmful increase in on-street parking pressure", the inspector said, adding car ownership levels in the area are "relatively low".

The council has agreed to pay all the costs incurred by the applicant towards the appeal process.

Mr Shafiq told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The inspector found that the council had behaved unreasonably and failed to consider relevant material considerations, resulting in a waste of time and public funds.

"The financial penalty now imposed on the council could have been avoided entirely — those funds could have been directed towards essential local services."

A council spokesman said: "The applicant has the right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against any decisions to refuse planning permission by the council.

"In this instance, the [inspectorate] did not agree with the council's decision and considered that the development would have an acceptable impact in planning terms."

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