A care home and 60 extra care apartments have been approved in East Molesey after an inspector decided a number of heritage harms were outweighed significantly by the benefit the care complex would bring.
The appeal considered an application to knock down an existing care facility that was made up of two Victorian villas and various outbuildings in East Molesey that had been joined together. A new four-storey development was proposed to be built in its place which could provide 32-bed care home and 60 "extra care" apartments, as well as on-site parking.
The existing care home and building was locally listed and was in a conservation area and within the setting of a grade II listed church. Inspector R J Jackson recognised that demolition of the building could "only be described as resulting in substantial harm".
The area was largely made of up Victorian villas which were Italianate and Arts and Crafts styles and the inspector pointed out that the Georgian and Classical architectural influences of the new building would not fit with the area.
Jackson however recognised that the current care facility was no longer up to standard and a refurbishment would not be appropriate. The council argued that there was a well balanced supply and demand for elderly accommodation in the area, but the inspector felt the complex was of "a significant public benefit".
The appeal was allowed on the ruling that the scheme's benefits significantly outweighed the heritage harm it would cause.
