Residents raise concerns over plans for 76-bed care home

A planning application for a new 76-bedroom care home near Marston Road has been submitted to Somerset Council, but local residents have raised concerns about the size, scale and impact of the development.

The application, submitted by JLL Planning on behalf of Liberty Care Developments, seeks to deliver a residential care home that will provide 24-hour nursing and specialist dementia care for elderly people with a range of complex needs.

The developer says there is an ‘identified lack of appropriate care accommodation within Frome and that the proposal would develop an under-utilised site, provide much needed care beds and contribute to the local economy by creating 75 full-time equivalent jobs for local people.’

Resident concerns

However, local residents who live on Marston Lane have raised strong objections to the plans at the Frome Town Council planning meeting on Thursday 7th August. Concerns include the size and scale of the development, flooding and environmental risks, excess traffic, ‘inadequate’ parking facilities and a ‘lack of’ access for emergency vehicles.

One resident said the site will be ‘overbearing’ at barely two to three metres away from their boundary. He said, “I understand the structure is going to be at least eight metres probably a little bit more. For reference, on our side of the fence, the height of our boundary is three metres. We will now be facing a building eight metres tall.

“The site is far too big, it’s cramped, it is over-bearing, it’s obtrusive. It needs to be halved, it needs to be cut back, scaled down. It should be cut in half.”

Another resident urged the council to object to the application. He said, “We do not feel JLL have fairly consulted with us, no plans submitted for the application were shown to us, they have shown us a plan that is completely different to what’s gone in. There is an opportunity here to create a care home that truly serves its residents and fits respectfully within the local context. One that feels integrated, not imposed, but this current design is not it at all and I would urge the council to oppose this application.”

A third resident spoke at the meeting with concerns around a lack of parking spaces included in the plans and the parking and traffic risks for the local area. She also raised concern that the access is ‘inadequate’ for emergency vehicles.

The plans were presented to Frome Town Council at an earlier meeting on 15th May however, the residents said they felt what has been submitted is now ‘entirely’ different to what was presented.

Adam Price, planning consultant at JLL, said, “The proposal is a logical and sustainable step, providing much needed quality care home provision within Frome which currently offers a very limited modern stock. As demands on care including for elderly people and those with dementia rises, purpose-built developments which provide a quality care service continue to increase. This is an important residential product in addressing the wide range of needs across Frome’s population.”

Due to minimal committee members at the meeting, Frome Town Council agreed to take the residents’ comments back to the wider committee to discuss.

Pictured: Artist impression of the site