Telford planners reject children’s homes plan to change staff parking arrangements
The condition it wanted to change related to the number of staff on the site but the company said this could create a conflict with Ofsted regulators
Controversial proposed changes to a condition that sought to control the numbers of staff at a children’s homes in Telford have been rejected amid a war of words.
Highways officials at Telford & Wrekin Council objected to a Walsall-based care company’s plans to change a planning condition on its already approved use of four bungalows in St George’s to house four children.
Ashlee Homes Supported Living had told council planners that there were no plans to change the number of children but said that its staffing arrangements should not be restricted by planning permission.
The condition it wanted to change related to the number of staff on the site but the company said this could create a conflict with Ofsted regulators.
The staffing headcount has been confirmed as 11 and the conflict was around changeover arrangements. The company said this would be controlled by the manager.
The company claimed that an objection from St George’s and Priorslee Parish Council which stated that it could ‘green card’ the plan and push the issue to a meeting of the borough’s planning committee was a ‘threat’.
It also told planners that it could not reject the plan on highways grounds unless the problems were severe, which it claimed they were not.
Council planners ruled that a proposed change to the wording of would allow more flexibility in the site’s operations, including the number of staff and shift rotas/patterns.
“The proposed variation would result in increased staffing levels and associated parking demand that cannot be satisfactorily accommodated within the available on-site parking provision,” planners wrote.
“In the absence of robust evidence demonstrating that parking demand can be effectively managed without reliance on overspill parking, the proposal would be likely to result in on-street parking to the detriment of highway safety and residential amenity, given the constrained nature of the access road and surrounding area.”
Planners added that an increase in activity “would cause unacceptable noise and disturbance” to neighbours.
Residents in the Freeston Avenue area had objected to the change as had St George’s & Priorslee Parish Council.
The parish council had “strongly” objected to the change of wording and added: “We will be green carding this application should it be approved.”
The company responded: “We wish to place on record that we consider this threat to be wholly unacceptable and, frankly, an improper attempt to exert political pressure on what is a matter to be determined on its planning merits alone.”
The company added that it considers the use of the ‘green card’ would be an ‘abuse’ of planning since permission for the children’s homes use had already been granted.
The site has some 10 on-site parking spaces and the company said its management plan ensures “capacity is not exceeded.”
A company representative added that a refusal of the change in the planning condition by Telford & Wrekin Council would “expose the council to a costs application” at a planning appeal.
The company has a right to lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, the council confirmed.