PLANNING chiefs at Warrington have thrown out plans for a care home for people with brain injuries, dementia, strokes, etc – after being told the scheme would mean felling to mature oak trees.
Members of Warrington’s development control committee visited the site in Delenty Drive, Birchwood, before deciding the scheme could not go ahead.
The scheme, put forward by St George Ultimate Care Ltd, would have provided accommodation for people with acquired brain injury, early onset dementia, strokes, etc.
There would have been 19 special needs flats, three guest rooms, a gymnasium, hydrotherapy pool, library and other facilities
The project would have involved demolishing an existing building on the site, but the issued which concerned planning officers was the need to fell a number of trees – including the two mature protected oaks which, planners said, were important features of the local landscape.
Birchwood Town Council and five nearby residents had opposed the scheme. They said the part three-storey building would represent over-development of the site and lead to traffic problems, noise and disturbance.
In addition, they claimed the applicants had failed to adequately consult with residents.
The committee was told the scheme – a private development – could increase pressure on the council’s Social Service resources.
