Plans have been approved for the conversion of a care home into new flats in Crowthorne. 

The proposal, which was voted through unanimously by Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee, will see The Homestead on Heath Hill Road converted into eight flats. 

The vacant care home property, which previously provided care for up to twenty-three elderly people with mild to moderate dementia, was purchased by Elkhorn Developments Ltd after it was put on the market for £1 million last year. 

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The property, located within a residential area of detached houses, is a three-storey building with parking situated at the front and rear. 

The submission proposes the eight new flats be comprised of two one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and one three-bedroom, with provisions for 16 parking spaces – 14 for residents plus two more for visitors. 

All the residential parking bays are to be fitted with electric vehicle charging points, in line with the council’s carbon reduction strategy, however, the two visitor's spaces will not. 

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The vice chair of the planning committee, Michael Brossard, said: “Legislation will be coming in next year which requires properties to have electric charging points so it’s good that the developers have anticipated what is going to happen rather than waiting until the last minute and leaving residents to dig up the driveway to provide the cabling.”  

The original application received several objections from local residents who, despite being in favour of the repurposing of the property into residential dwellings, felt that the specific proposal was an example of ‘over-development,’ with the parking provisions inadequate to accommodate the associated vehicles. 

One neighbour, David Smith, said: “The building is designed to accommodate 24 people.[…] There are only 16 total parking places proposed. This will dramatically increase the number of cars on a narrow road without a pavement. 

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“This is a well-used pedestrian route for locals walking to the high street as well as children going to and from Edgebarrow School. and parents and children going to and from Kids Inc nursery school.” 

Another neighbour, Andrew Hayward, said: “We accept that the conversion is needed, but we don't accept the scale of the development proposed. Fewer flats and bedrooms […] will mean less people, vehicles and traffic.” 

Amendments were made to the original plan in response to the objections which the committee felt had ‘led to a better final application that can see support.’ 

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The vice chair of the executive committee, Councillor Dr Gareth Barnard, said: “I think it is a very sympathetic conversion with great attention to detail. 

The highway issues have been well addressed. […] For highway safety and other issues, I think that the parking standard is being met at this location [and] it will work in this context.”