A PROPOSAL to build a three-storey, 68-bedroom care home in Tadley has been rejected by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The plans, submitted by Tadley-based care home provider Boutique Care Homes, were rejected by the council, citing lack of sympathy to the area and impact on neighbours and the environment.
The proposal outlined a care home in Mulfords Hill, featuring en-suite wet rooms and top-of-the-range amenities, including a bistro, beauty salon, cinema lounge, hobby craft room, and beautifully landscaped gardens, complete with a courtyard.
The project also held the promise of creating more than 70 job opportunities for residents.
However, the application attracted significant public attention, with 35 public comments submitted. Among these comments, 33 expressed objections to the plans, while two offered support.
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The council ultimately rejected the proposal in a notice issued on Friday, October 20, saying that the proposed care home's scale and design were not in harmony with the character and visual quality of the area.
Planners also said that the design of the home failed to positively contribute to the "local distinctiveness and sense of place, appearing incongruous within the existing streetscape".
The council further cited the impact on trees, saying the development would "exert pressure on the future health and retention of boundary trees", along with its ecological impact and lack of a travel plan.
The impact on neighbours was also recognised, with the council stating in its decision: "The proximity of the proposed building to an adjacent dwelling was predicted to have a harmful impact on the neighbour's amenity. This impact would result in a loss of privacy and an oppressive living environment."
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The council said that the proposed care home site falls within the detailed emergency planning zone (DEPZ) surrounding the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment.
It said: "The development was deemed to have a detrimental impact on off-site emergency planning arrangements, particularly in terms of response and recovery."
Boutique Care Homes currently operates three care homes in Shepperton, Newmarket, and Broadstairs.
It has two other homes in development in Burgess Hill and Hythe, and the proposed care home in Tadley would have been its sixth care home.
To view the planning application and reasons for refusal, search in the council's planning portal with reference: 23/01170/FUL
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