Plan for Fareham care home near Grade-II listed cottage rejected as 'totally inappropriate'

Members of the borough council’s planning committee unanimously rejected the application for the two-storey, 64-bed care home on the land off Redlands Lane yesterday.

Developers Perseus Land and Developments Ltd hoped the facility would alleviate the area’s need for care home beds and bring more than 60 jobs to the area.

But residents, community groups, and councillors blasted the plans for being out of character with a nearby 200-year-old Grade-II listed building, Bishopwood cottage.

One resident, whose comments were read out by a council officer during the online meeting, said: ‘You cannot erase the significance of this land to the main house. In isolation, it may appear to be a piece of wasteland.

‘But there is a raft of history that should not be forgotten.’

The home would have occupied land that was once an orchard surrounded by seven acres of picturesque woodland garden.

The plan’s rejection represented ‘a huge missed opportunity’ to address the need for more than 350 care home beds in the area, according to Duncan Ford, the manager director of Perseus Land and Developments.

The developer said: ‘We are obviously very disappointed by the decision of the Planning Committee, especially given that the council’s conservation officer could not offer a coherent explanation as to exactly why she considers that our proposals represent substantial harm to (Bishopwood), when the proposed development is located over 70 metres away and cannot even be seen from this building.

‘This is a huge missed opportunity, for now at least.’

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But councillors remained unmoved, with strong concerns about the size and design of the building.

Councillor Fred Birkett said: ‘Yes we do need additional beds – but I am really not convinced (that) this is the right place for it.

‘The building is massive.’

The size and design of the building made it ‘totally and utterly out of character for the area’, according to Councillor Roger Price.

Referring to the design, he said: ‘It’s exactly the same as a 19th century workhouse.’

Councillor Trevor Cartwright agreed: ‘It’s totally inappropriate

‘When you look at the building – the bulk – it’s absolutely huge.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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