Children's home plan for estate house is withdrawn
Plans to convert a detached house into a children’s home, that prompted objections from neighbours and the parish council, have been withdrawn.
Progression Housing Ltd said it planned to use the six-bedroom Telford-property as a facility to “support children, build their confidence, help them develop life skills and re-engage into education”.
Residents of 14 of its would-be neighbours on Stewardstone Gate, Priorslee, were among those who wrote to object to the change-of-use application, and St Georges and Priorslee Council objected when it discussed the proposal last month.
The application, submitted by Progression Housing managing director Fahid Khan in June, was withdrawn yesterday. Publicly-viewable planning documents do not state a reason.
A supporting statement, submitted with the application by planning agent Adrian Rose of Rose Consulting on behalf of the Stourbridge-based company, said there would be “no internal or external alterations to the building or surroundings”.
The house is currently registered as a house in multiple occupation [HMO] for up to six people. Mr Rose said three of the existing bedrooms would accommodate the children, two would act as reception and office areas and the remaining bedroom would be for the two carers “sleeping overnight on a rota basis”.
He added: “The purpose of the home would be to support children to build their confidence and help them in developing life skills and re-engaging them into education.
“It is maintained that the nature of the use is not materially different from a normal household.
“Comings and goings would be no greater than a typical house, or indeed an HMO.”
St Georges and Priorslee discussed the application and agreed an objection statement which, it said, incorporated many of the objections raised by current Stewardstone Gate residents, including the concern that the residential institution would be out-of-keeping in a street otherwise populated entirely by single-household dwellings.
It added: “The statement supporting the application stated there is no material difference, in planning terms, between the proposed use and a typical residential household.
“However, the residents point out that none of the other family homes on Stewardstone Gate are owned and managed by a limited company, nor do they have up to eight visitors in and out of the premises on a rota basis each day.”
It also reported that residents in the street have consulted their house deeds and found a clause forbidding use for “any trade or business whatsoever”.
The statement adds that, “since it was built at the same times”, they assumed the house in question is subject to the same restriction.
