Owners hit back after Kenley care home application refused
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop a developer expanding a Kenley care home are hailing the application's refusal at a dramatic council meeting.
But the owners have since hit back by branding the opposers "unruly", lodging a second appeal with the Bristol-based planning inspectorate and defiantly claiming "the site will ultimately be developed as a care home".
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Members of Foxley Residents’ Association, set up to fight the proposed development, outside the site with Kenley councillor Steve O’Connell on Higher Drive
Committee chairman David Osland was forced to remonstrate with protesters who packed out the public gallery at last Thursday's Croydon Council planning committee due to relentless heckling during the owner's agent's speech.
Shouts of "rubbish" and another offensive word which cannot be printed were hurled. Owners of the high-dependency Highfield House want to expand from 27 to 49 bedrooms, but were blocked by six Conservative to five Labour votes. The proposal involves extending the current home on 92 Higher Drive onto land on 94. Among the protesters was local GP Derrick Cutting, who pleaded with council planning chiefs to save local residents from "total ruination".
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Dr Cutting told the meeting: "The thought of expanding to 49 beds with almost 100 staff coming and going at 8am and 8pm is unbearable.
"We're already suffering on-street parking, hazardous exits from side roads and driveways and delivery vehicles obstructing the highway. Granting permission will reward misrepresentation and contempt for regulation. Is it any wonder residents are enraged? Ninety-two has already spoilt the area. Please save us from total ruination."
Council officers recommended granting permission despite more than 100 objections. The site at 92 and 94 has long been the subject of high tempers as one plan to extend was refused on appeal last year, only for the owners to submit another, almost identical, proposal – the plan refused last week.
Ian Coomber, of Stiles Harold Williams, is the agent for the home's owners, Fairlie Healthcare, who spoke in favour of expansion during the meeting. Suggesting councillors voted against simply on the grounds of political popularity, he said: "Anything positive being said was booed and hissed at while anything negative was cheered. It was in that arena the politicians were making a decision.
"They [the protesters] were unruly. It should have been a professional debate about the planning merits of the application.
"We will be appealing with the inspectorate and we are confident that it will ultimately be developed as a care home."
He added the Planning Inspectorate refused the first appeal due to parking and not design. Increased parking as part of the latest appeal would, he claimed, see the plan granted this time.
Comments
by Sparky169
Monday, February 11 2013, 1:02AM
“Care homes are certainly needed and extensions are going to happen as most are over-subscribed, I understand residents' concerns on the parking side of things, Kenley has far too much on street parking, even the station has one of the smallest car parks in the area.
Kenley is a very nice area, especially when you see a lot of the housing around the area and the landscape, it is let down a lot by its image from the Godstone Road for example, the few shopping parades look very glum and run down, they certainly need cleaning up a bit. Also the station could do with a refurb or rebuild, it is over 110 years old and has seen very little change it is starting to fall apart. I also think a decent car park should be looked into around the station area for people using the station and shops to cater for future demand and reduce some of the cramped street parking especially during the school run.
There is a lack of public services in the area, it needs a library and more activities for children to improve the disappointing academic results it has seen of recent. Generally more community facilities need to be looked into.
If you take similar wards such as Sanderstead, the station is very nice and fits well with the area and is much more accessible with more parking, the area also serves its residents better in terms of public services and facilities for the community.
The area really needs these things and the community need to take a more creative and proactive approach towards improving and suitably developing the area. With a population of around 15,000 and still growing with housing developments coming there needs to be more local improvement so the area can serve its own residents better.
Developments such as this care home are something which is going to happen, be it now or in a few years, the residents, developers and council need to put some creative thinking together to make the area more accessible to its own services, if these staff members could take the train and access their place of work, this would increase good use of the railway station and not require loads of street parking. Maybe improved transport or walking/cycling routes to take people from the station to these places.
It's just sad to see so much objecting and tiresome battling against everything without any creative solutions being suggested.”
by roomster
Monday, December 17 2012, 7:41AM
“I hope that planning permission is given a swiftly as possible ,get some testicle councillors these places are needed ignore those worried about their property prices.”
by klissauer
Saturday, December 15 2012, 9:27PM
“I work near the site and also pass by there regularly. I have never seen anything but a perfectly calm scene, and an attractive building which very pleasantly replaces the former care home. Funny that the objectors were content to have a residential home there before which did not properly care for its residents and was therefore closed down, leaving the community with a neglected building! NIMBYs should take up a new hobby. They're wasting their time and the council's.”
by DAM2903
Saturday, December 15 2012, 7:39PM
“So it's OK to have three schools in Old Lodge Lane, where I presume the children of the residents who are complaining go, but not an extention to the high-dependency unit can't go ahead. I spend a good ten minutes each day trying to get to the Brighton road from where I live in Old Lodge Lane, but these people are moaning about the movements of opto 100 staff a day
NIMBY - comes to mind
Some people have nothing better to complain about, get a life”