Three-storey care home plan

PLANNING bosses at Warrington are to be asked to rule on an application to demolish two large, detached houses in a top residential area and replace them with a three storey care home.
Appleton Parish Council had lodged objections to the scheme, which involves two houses in London Road, Appleton, opposite the junction with Delphfields Road.
A similar application was refused permission last year because of concerns about the scale of the development, its impact on the character of the area, loss of protected trees and worries over visibility at the proposed access onto London Road.
Planning officers say applicant Villafont Ltd has scaled down the proposals and reduced the impact on the area, saving all protected trees.
They are recommending the scheme be approved – subject to a contribution of £64,841 by the applicant to the local transport strategy.
This could partly be used to fund a new crossing on London Road to increase pedestrian safety – particularly for school children.
But Appleton Parish Council says the three-storey building, providing 73 rooms, would represent a substantial overdevelopment of the site, would be overbearing and damage the street scene.
The property would be closer to the road than the existing houses and alterations to the stone wall at the front of the site would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the area, they say.
There are also fears that increased traffic would worsen hazards at the dangerous junction of London Road and Broomfields Road.
The plan is due to be considered at next week’s meeting of Warrington’s development control committee.