Churchill Retirement home approved to take place of Fareham Magistrates' Court
A COUNCIL has approved the design of a retirement home to replace the ‘disgusting’ former magistrates’ court in Fareham.
Churchill Retirement’s plans for a four-storey retirement lodge on Trinity Street were welcomed by Fareham borough councillors.
The building will cater for over-60s with 37 private apartments with communal facilities, landscaping and car parking.
Churchill’s planning documents state the lodge will create an ‘attractive’ development that 'respects and enhances the character of both the immediate vicinity and the wider area.
‘The sensitive design, appropriate massing, materials and detailing together with an attractive landscape scheme will improve the urban fabric and provide a high-quality building on this Fareham site while protecting the amenity of adjoining owners.’
The now-demolished magistrates’ court has been labelled as ‘the most hideous building in Fareham’, and ‘an eyesore’ for residents and councillors.
Cllr Katrina Trott said it was a ‘relief’ for the ‘disgusting’ building to go and be replaced with bricks ‘that belong in Fareham, not white paint’.
In agreement, Cllr Ian Walker, chairman of the planning committee said: ‘I’ve said it before, it was the most disgusting building, I think it might have won an award.
‘The only comment I'd make, and you’ve sort of alluded to it, it’s going to be brick, it’s just a shame it’s not red brick - I'd love it to be Fareham type red brick.’
Cllr Ford said he had known the ‘appalling’ court ‘intimately for very many years and I think from the day it went up it should be coming down’.
Cllr Trott said that when the Ministry of Justice was closing down the court she asked the council’s housing department if it could buy the land for ‘much needed affordable housing’.
Cllr Hockley told the committee that she also hoped the land could have been used ‘for people to live somewhere sustainable with reasonable rent’.
Councillors voted unanimously in support of the proposal.