County Road care home plan set for planning appeal

Sep 13 2012 by Jamie Bowman, Ormskirk Advertiser

AN APPEAL has been lodged against a council decision to refuse planning permission for a new care home in Ormskirk.

West Lancashire Borough Council threw out plans for the three-storey site on County Road after a meeting in June, following fierce opposition from Ormskirk Community Partnership.

Local residents claimed the scheme, which would replace the former Esso Petrol Station, would dominate views across nearby Coronation Park.

A letter objecting to the development from the partnership added: “It is uninspiring and lacks form or features that would make it an attractive addition to the townscape in an area that is important visually for our town.”

The plans, which were designed by Southport architects NJSR, had proposed a specialist dementia care home with the potential for accommodating up to 60 residents and 18 full-time staff.

A proposed car park attached to the site contained only 11 spaces, with some residents also claiming this was inadequate and that parking problems would increase on County Road as a result.

An appeal has now been made against the decision to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by County Durham- based firm EOS Limited.

Residents close to the site have been informed of the appeal, with the council inviting comments and views to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate no later than October 11, 2012.

Members of Ormskirk Tennis Club, whose access road is near to the site, are among those who have expressed concern that any increased parking would create a traffic hazard for those using County Road.

Club chairman Rob Owens said: “Access into the club is very poor as it is, and we are worried it might become too dangerous for junior members to cross the road.”