Gateshead council’s development committee granted a planning application for the creation of a new children’s home on Galloping Green Road.
Action for Children, a charity providing “practical and emotional” support to children and young people, asked the local authority to convert a former family home into a care facility for children.
The application stipulated the dwelling would accommodate up to four children, who would be supported by three daytime and two nightshift members of staff. The application however generated six letters of objections from residents.
Read More: New online mental health service can be 'helping hand' for those struggling to open up in Tyneside
The main objections as reported to the council included:
- Noise
- Disturbance in the mornings and late evenings
- Increased traffic
- Highway safety
- Out of character with the local area
- Proposal may attract vandals
With regards to traffic concerns, a council report states: “It is not considered that the change of use of this site will have an unacceptable impact on highway capacity, highway safety or parking provisions.” No objectors attended the development meeting to voice their concerns directly to councillors.
The report into the application did also raise concerns that the change of use would dilute the number of family sized homes in the borough.
But the report did also state: “Although the proposed change of use would result in the loss of one family sized dwelling, it would provide specialist accommodation for children and in this respect would, to a certain extent, help to maintain a range of house types.”
A Gateshead planning officer’s also informed councillors present Northumbria Police had no objections to the proposal. The application was subsequently passed unanimously.
The application also proposed to construct a small, single storey side extension which would provide a link between the main dwelling and the conservatory as well as inserting two new windows at first floor level, one in the north and one in the south elevations.
Councillors were slightly concerned over resident’s fears of a loss of privacy with the proposed installation of a window. However according to council officers it was deemed an “acceptable arrangement.”
Read More:
