PLANS for a 50-bed care home in Holmes Chapel are being opposed by residents who say more elderly people would be ‘bad for the village’.
The plans, put forward by Maria Mallaband Nursing Home, include a 50-bed care home, 12 ‘Close Care’ two bed apartments on Chester Road and new road access and car parking.
Congleton Borough Council’s Planning Committee had previously deferred making a decision until after a site visit on August 30.
The plans are under fire from residents who believe the ‘age mix of the village should be directed towards lowering the average age to maintain a vibrant society’.
One resident of Dunbar Close wrote to the council saying: ‘The development would completely spoil the ambiance of Holmes Chapel and will turn the village into a place populated by the elderly and infirm.’
A resident of Balmoral Drive wrote: ‘There is already enough accommodation for the older population and the demands for medical care are exceptionally high.
‘There is already an imbalance in the population, it’s not good for the village or its future.’
Maria Mallaband Elderly Care Homes mainly cater for elderly people over 85.
A report by one of the UK’s leading care home consultations, Atisreal, states there is an urgent need for another care home.
It states: ‘There are just five privately owned care homes within a five-mile radius. One’s in Holmes Chapel and appears to date from the 1970s and although seemingly well maintained, is beginning to fall short of standards expected by residents and commissioning authorities.
‘There is a substantial under-supply of care home beds and any new proposals would provide a much needed facility in the area.’
As the Chronicle went to print, Congleton Borough Council’s Planning Committee was due to make a decision at 7pm last night.
