Planning green light for family villa in Grimsby's Abbey Road to become children's care home

 

                                              

As a care home, up to four children at a time will be accommodated

AN imposing villa in Grimsby's Abbey Road is set to become a  care home for up to four children at a time.

A Barton-on-Humber company, Tower Residential Care, has secured  planning consent from North East Lincolnshire Council to change the use of the two-storey property from a family house.

TRC states: "This application  seeks a change of use to a children's home to provide a place for children to feel safe and secure and to build a new life for themselves, allowing them to grow and develop.

"The home would provide the children with safe accommodation where they can be given the best possible support, keeping them safe from exploitation and abuse. 

"Our proposal is in a suitable area away from run-down hotspots where there might be drug problems or a bail hostel which is housing released sex offenders. It will be run by a competent provider."

The children anticipated to reside at the property will have a range of conditions whether that be emotional problems, autism and/or Down's Syndrome with ages ranging from 8 - 16.

Staffing will be on a shift basis with two daytime shifts (8am - 3pm) and (3pm - 10pm) and one overnight shift (10pm to 8am).

During term time no children will be present at the premise from 8:30am to 15:30pm, but there will be a member of staff. 

A social worker will visit the site every six  weeks.

Visits by family and friends are likely to take place away from the site at family homes or family centres after school and at weekends.

The property will have four  bedrooms on the first floor.

A fifth room does not  comply with the Technical Housing Standards so this will  be used as a study. 

The change-of-use application raised the eyebrows of some nearby residents - but not high enough to persuade case officer Jonathan Cadd to refuse the proposal.

In his report, he says: "In many ways the scale of the use proposed will not be dissimilar to that of a family home.

"While safety concerns were raised initially by the police, they   now feel able to support the proposal. 

"The impact on neighbours will be limited by the small number of children accommodated."