Children’s home plans for village near Shrewsbury are refused

Unique Care Group applied for a change of use at the buildings in Harley Road, Condover, south of Shrewsbury. The proposal was to have five children’s bedrooms on the ground floor, with the waking night staff on the first floor, and the manager and meeting room in the roof space.

Michelle Maguire, the firm’s managing director, told Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee that the company currently manages three registered children’s homes, and a registered special school.

“Our organisation is family-run and owned, led by a team of highly-qualified and experienced directors, managers and staff ensuring the highest standards of care and education,” said Ms Magure.

“We are fully regulated by Ofsted, which holds us to extremely high standards of care and education, and we are specifically focused on providing care for children. Our care facilities will be designed to meet the needs of young people.”

However, both Condover Parish Council and Councillor Dan Morris (Conservatives, Burnell) objected to the plans. The latter cited incompatibility to residential character, adverse impact on residential amenity, traffic and parking challenges, loss of valuable housing stock, precedent for over-concentration of care facilities, inadequate outdoor space for residents, environmental conservation considerations, and suitability for vulnerable residents.

Of 21 public comments about the application received by Shropshire Council, 15 were against it.

One of those was from Victoria Regan, who represents the Condover Residence Group and made reference to a previous care facility at the site.

“This objection is informed by over six years of living next to the prior care setting in these buildings, which caused extensive and documented distress to our community,” she said.

“We have extensively documented the impact of the care home’s operations, including hours of noise recordings and corroborating reports from environmental health officers. Our concerns were validated by an independent barrister who spent extensive time observing the issues firsthand. Their 64-page opinion led to a council apology and the conclusion that these buildings were entirely unsuitable for a care home.

“The decision to cease care home operations was welcomed by the community, and we expected the buildings to return to their original purpose as private residences.”

Planning officer Mandy Starr recommended that the proposal was granted, stating that it met national and local planning policies by supporting the delivery of specialist supported house. She added that it was an appropriate location for the purpose proposed, while the level of vehicle movements would not have a detrimental impact on people’s lives.

However, seven councillors refused the application due it not being in a suitable location, with only Caroline Bagnall and Tony Parsons supporting it.

“I do appreciate that, sometimes, people with a learning difficulty might make noise,” said Councillor Bagnall.

“However, if you live in a house next door to people with teenagers or young people, they make noise too.

“You may live next to a family who look lovely until the domestic abuse starts. You do not know. We owe it to these children to live in something approaching a family home.”