Care home expansion plan rejected

Plans to build an extension to a care home in a conservation area have been rejected over concerns it would have an unacceptable impact on neighbours.

Hessan Madoo applied for permission to build a first-floor extension at the Marina Lodge care home on Avenue Victoria in Scarborough.

However, residents in the area raised fears about overshadowing, the design and a lack of parking.

Despite the submission of an amended plan, North Yorkshire Council said the development would have had a "significant detrimental impact on the amenity enjoyed by neighbouring properties due to its scale, layout and positioning of habitable windows".

Had it been approved, the proposed extension would have created an extra 1,290 sq ft (120sqm) of internal floor space and raised the height of the roof ridge to 28 ft (8.65m).

It would have increased the number of bedrooms from 11 to 17, with the number of full-time equivalent employees rising from 18 to 24.

Three residents opposed the plan but no formal objections were made by the council's environmental health and housing teams.

One resident said: "The extension is an inappropriate modern addition to a historic building, in a historic area."

Planning officers also highlighted substantial concerns over a lack of parking, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The care home currently has space for "a small number of vehicles" with three to four spots and a limited turning area, which could be required for emergency vehicles including ambulances.

"Despite requests for clarification, the submitted information does not clearly set out the existing and proposed parking spaces on site," planners said.

A report by the council concluded that the "large and bulky" design would constitute an overdevelopment and would not enhance the character of the area.

North Yorkshire Council rejected the proposal as it would have contravened several policies and planners said despite an amended design "the significant concerns remained".

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