A NEW care home for people with dementia is to be built in Minehead despite concerns of neighbouring residents that it is not a suitable development for the area.

At its meeting last Thursday, Somerset West and Taunton Council’s planning committee gave permission for Julian Sykes-Brown, who runs the Dene Lodge Nursing Home in Bircham Road, Alcombe, to build a single-storey care home on the site of an existing bungalow.

The project was opposed by Minehead Town Council’s planning committee, which claimed it was “a substantial enlargement” and not in keeping with the surrounding bungalows in Dunster Close.

It claimed the development would cause parking problems and was “incongruously” high.

And it said neighbours’ opinions had been disregarded and there was a danger of blockages on the Dunster Close turning circle caused by staff and visitors’ cars.

Last week’s meeting heard that nearby residents feared the changes would cause unwanted disruption and claimed a covenant on the land prevented the site being used for commercial purposes.

In her report to the committee, planning officer Anna-Mari Galliott said that permission from West Somerset Council to demolish the three-bedroom bungalow at 19 Dunster Close was first granted in 2017.

The applicants intended at that time to replace it with a six-bedroom “assisted living unit”, serving as a single-storey annexe to the nearby nursing home.

But since that approval was granted, a new access to the site – now known as Dene House – from the nursing home had been created.

Ms Galliott said that in December 2018, Dene Lodge Nursing decided it wanted to change the building’s use, re-purposing it for the “long-term care of people suffering from dementia” who had been transferred out of Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

The new building would include larger bedrooms with en-suite wet rooms, and residents would have access to body hoists and other essential equipment.

The committee was told that while the original approved application was for assisted living, this amended application was for dementia care, which by definition required full-time care and would require a change of use.

The size, height and shape of the proposed building had also been changed from the previous application.

Objections from local residents included claims of over-development of a plot originally intended for a family home and the building of a business property in a residential area.

One resident, Julie Worth, warned that the larger footprint of the building would “surely kill” protected trees around the existing properties, which would have to be cut back during the construction.

She added: “The covenant on this land clearly states no business use. Why should neighbouring properties be devalued for one man’s business gain?

“If granted this will disrupt the whole Dene estate.”

Recommending approval of the amended scheme, Ms Galliott said that although the proposal was in a residential area, the change of use was considered acceptable considering the proximity and history of the site in connection with Deane Lodge Nursing Home.

It was considered acceptable in terms of scale and appearance and would not cause any significant adverse impact on the character and appearance of the area in general.

She also said it would not give rise to significant overlooking as the building would be single storey and the site was enclosed by 1.8 timber fencing.

Cllr Ian Aldridge said he had “increasing reservations” about the proposals.

“I have this feeling that residents who have objected to this all along would say ‘I told you so’,” he said.

“We are talking about a deliberate purchase of the site which had a residence on it which was in keeping with the rest of the street.

“The application before us represents an over-development of the site – it is too big for this setting.”

Cllr Aldridge was one of three councillors who voted against the plans, but eight voted in favour of approval.