Children's home plan in pipeline for Carnforth house
Plans for a house in Carnforth to be turned into a children’s home have been put forward to the city council,.
Applicant Lewis Horner has submitted the proposals for the erection of a two-storey side extension to the side gable wall of 1 Fern Bank.
This is required to facilitate change of use of the site to use as a children’s home.
The company operating the home will be Lune Side Care, who are in the process of becoming a registered provider.
Whilst the proposed number of occupants at the site will be lower than six, planning permission for change of use from a house to a residential institution is deemed necessary as it is likely that the site will not operate with a single, live-in carer but rather that different carers will provide support.
The application site currently forms an end-terraced property in a prominent location within Carnforth, on the junction of Lancaster Road with the access to Tesco supermarket.
Currently, 1 Fern Bank has two bedrooms on the first floor, with what was likely a former third bedroom now an additional, first floor kitchen.
The applicant would like to add a two-storey extension on to the north gable wall of 1 Fern Bank.
This would provide accommodation for three young people, who are suitable to be placed in a town location, and provide sleeping accommodation for up to two staff members.
The accommodation would prepare older children for independent living as adults after living in an institutional environment.
The proposed layout provides an en-suite room to each of the children’s bedrooms together with a shared living room and kitchen on the ground floor.
A ground floor bedroom would be included, to accommodate a staff member when required, together with a staff meeting room.
Whilst four bedrooms are shown on the first floor, only three of these will be children’s bedrooms, the other being available for staff sleeping when required.
There are no neighbouring properties to the north and west of the site, while to the south it adjoins 2 Fern Bank.
However, it is considered that, given the small scale of the children’s home, the proposal will not cause undue disturbance to neighbouring dwellings.
The plans will be considered at a future Lancaster City Council planning committee meeting.