Somerset : Outrage As Second Care Plan Refused

A Somerset Care service is disappointed and angry after plans to extend a care home in Castle Cary were rejected for the second time.

At a meeting on Thursday, South Somerset District Council area east planning committee refused the proposals to rebuild a residential wing of Cary Brook home at Millbrook Gardens, Castle Cary.

Cary Brook, run by The Somerset Care Group, a non-profit organisation, assists in the care of adults with mental frailty and dementia. The home currently has 35 bedrooms, and the plans would have added another ten, as well as extensions to the existing rooms.

The building, constructed in the 1970s, is formed of two two-storey wings, a single-storey day care centre and a garage block. The scheme proposed that one accommodation wing could be demolished and replaced by a larger building. The second plans involved rebuilding part of the home on a smaller scale.

The proposals were rejected on the grounds that the building would be too big, affect local amenities and fail to preserve the street scene.

Andrew Larpent, chief executive of Somerset Care, said: “Cary Brook provides a vitally important service for the community of Castle Cary and the surrounding area. This decision is a great disappointment to us. Our architects have worked hard to ensure that our proposal is reasonable and is appropriate for the site and its surroundings.

“We have addressed the concerns expressed at the earlier meeting of the committee and have sought to minimise the impact of the building on our neighbours.

“Both our applications have had the unanimous support of Castle Cary Town Council. We will now have to go back to the drawing board again.

“I would like to reassure the residents of Cary Brook, their families and our staff that we remain committed to finding the right solution for the home. We will not give up. We owe it to this very vulnerable group of frail residents to provide them with the best possible accommodation.”

The majority of town councillors were also outraged at the refusal and believed that Somerset Care had made a big effort to improve the plan.

Chairman Nick Weeks said: “What amazes me is that the planning department can use the bulk and size of a building to refuse a planning application when a pet food factory can be built in the middle of the Somerset countryside without the bulk being considered.

“Something needs to be done about this, these facilities are going to be needed more and more. It is not good enough. The planning department need to get their act together.”

Jean Marshall, planning team leader at South Somerset District Council, said: “The plans, from our point of view, were not altered significantly enough and the bulk of the building had not been significantly changed.

“In regards to Crown Pet Foods, the application was for completely different purposes and a completely different context and each application must be regarded on their own merit.”