Facility for disabled workers dropped in new plans

Developers want to build homes on land designed for a plant nursery and cafe, which would have provided employment for people with learning disabilities.

Plans had been approved for the replacement nursery, as part of a proposal to partly demolish Beech Spinney care village in Madeley, Telford.

But revised plans have now been submitted, making way for five more homes on the site.

Learning disability charity Home Farms Trust (HFT) said the facility no longer fits its strategy, as it was developing activities in the wider community.

Plans were approved in 2022 for the site to have 68 open market dwellings, nine supported living dwellings and three registered social care bungalows, with a new plant nursery and cafe in the south-east corner of the site.

HFT and developers Lionheart said the facility would only have been for internal use of clients rather than a public facility.

Explaining the change, HFT said that since consent was granted they had explored the operating and funding model for the potential plant nursery and cafe.

They stated that the facility would have ‘restricted the opportunities for residents’ due to its intended use being for residents and users of HFT only.

One of the extra homes would be gifted to the charity, providing specialist housing which it said was hard to resource.

A consultation on the new plans is open until 25 April on the Telford & Wrekin Council planning website.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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