Cheltenham care home could create 100 jobs
A COLOURFUL new care home in Pittville could create more than 100 jobs.
The Orders Of St John Care Trust wants to build an 81-bedroom development in Windsor Street on the site of a disused factory.
The scheme is a re-jigged version of another developer's plan for a 53-bedroom home which was approved by councillors in 2008. This fell through and the site subsequently fell into receivership.
Andy Marshall, head of planning at agents Brackley Investments, said the new home would provide much-needed facilities in Cheltenham.
He said: "We are pleased the application is now able to go in and we hope it progresses quickly.
"A lot of work has gone into this and we have been pleased with the response we have got from the public, who have been very positive about the plans. Hopefully the council now have all they need and the application can be resolved within three months."
The Windsor Street site, which has been empty for years after the original joinery business left, has been the subject of much speculation about its future. The latest application is the seventh separate scheme proposed for the area in the past 15 years.
The previous plan by Landmarque Investments envisaged a smaller care home with 11 sheltered apartments and 1,451 square metres of office space.
The proposal sparked anger among nearby residents who said it would cause parking chaos in the street.
If the new application is approved, there would be 30 extra parking spaces on the site and a contribution of £54,000 would be made towards improving either public transport or traffic flow in Pittville.
Jean Roylis, who lives in Windsor Street, said she was impressed with the plans.
"I think they look like a very good idea," she said.
"I know there were supposed to be problems with parking before, but I don't think it will be an issue."
Developers predict the new care home will create 81 full-time jobs and a string of part-time posts.
As well as the 81 beds, it will include a series of vegetable patches which will also be open to residents living nearby.
Christina Snell, from Age Concern Gloucestershire, said Cheltenham would benefit from another care home.
Comments
by Ian, Cheltenham
Tuesday, March 16 2010, 8:00AM
“While the existing building is not very pretty, it is after all an industrial building in an area with a long industrial history, I see the new proposal does not seem to be any better. Could the developers not have a little sympathy for the Victorian houses in the rest of the street. The new houses opposite this site have been very well thought out and blend in perfectly. Just because something is new does not mean it has to stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe the architects who built the extended terrace in Evesham Road could put in a design.”