Sixty-bed care home next to pub plan appeal is thrown out over noise concerns
A planning inspector has rejected a developer's appeal to get planning permission for a 60-bed care home.
Frontier Estates had appealed to the Planning Inspectorate after Shropshire Council refused its scheme for the former Phoenix Garage site in Great Hales Street, Market Drayton.
The plan was for the home to be run by Maria Mallaband Care Group and inspector Helen Hockenhull visited the site on November 8 before making the decision to back the council. It had been refused by the council on December 6, 2022.
Ms Hockenhull decided that the scheme would "result in unacceptable living conditions for future residents due to noise" from a pub.
The inspector's decision letter dated December 22 of this year said: "Whilst the scheme would preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area and have no adverse impacts on the setting of nearby listed buildings, it would result in unacceptable living conditions for future residents due to noise impacts and the mitigation required.
"Accordingly, the proposal would not comply with the development plan and material considerations do not indicate that a decision should be made other than in accordance with it."
Objections were received from 30 members of the public as well as Market Drayton Town Council, citing concerns that the building would be out of keeping with the town’s conservation area, the potential impact on neighbouring businesses and residents, and that there was insufficient parking. The Environment Agency and the council’s own ecology team also objected.
Planning officers cited four reasons for refusing the scheme, saying more information was needed to show the development would “not cause pollution issues for the underground water system”, or have an impact on protected species such as bats.
They also said there was not enough information about how the applicants had considered the potential impact of living next to a pub on future residents of the care home, and said they had concerns over the “unsuitable level of usable good quality open space”.
Their report concluded: “While there is no objection in principle to the proposed scheme it is considered that there are issues which would need to be resolved before a scheme could be recommended for approval.”
A second planning appeal for a care home at nearby Sych Farm, lying just outside the town on the other side of the bypass, has yet to be decided.
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