Applicant, Mission Care, has applied for planning permission from Southwark Council to deliver a new care home at 10 Love Walk in Denmark Hill which would be for adults living with dementia.
The council’s Planning Committee has been recommended to approve the plans at a meeting this week (September 8).
The site is currently occupied by a former care home that provided support for adults living with physical disabilities before closing down in July 2023.
The new care home would consist of a part three and part four-storey building, while Mission Care aims to double the number of bedrooms from 31 to 62.
All of the bedrooms would contain en-suites.
Inside the new care home, there would be communal facilities across the basement, ground, first and second floors as well as an atrium entrance with a café and meeting space for families.
Mission Care was previously granted planning permission to build a care home on the same site in November 2023 however, the plans were quashed by the council after a High Court judge granted a local resident’s judicial review.
The previous plans also consisted of a part three and part four-storey new care home, but with 63 bedrooms instead of 62.
The latest plans were first submitted to Southwark’s planning portal in February 2024.
In a letter addressed to neighbours, Mission Care said its latest application consists of a “significantly altered scheme” which has reduced the building to three storeys “with a small fourth storey lift pop up”.
The letter stated: “Following detailed discussions with Southwark Council, and consultation with Historic England, we have undertaken a comprehensive technical exercise, alongside specialist experts, to review the proposal.
“This has sought to reduce the massing of the building while maintaining the design quality and optimising the internal configuration to ensure the project’s viability.”
However, the latest plans have been met with 173 objections and just five representations of support.
Those who are in support of the plans said it makes “perfect use” of the site and is “the sort of responsible development we need”, while others said it would be “a fantastic opportunity” to redevelop an underused site.
However a number of concerns have been raised about the quality of the accommodation which includes the size of the bedrooms being “inadequate” for wheelchair users and there being “very little” outdoor space for residents.
Another objection stated: “Dementia care should not be provided in this type of environment, it should be in small scale environments.”
Meanwhile others said the plans are of a poor design quality which ignores opportunities for residents to experience an “uplifting” building design that suits the local context and historical character of the area.
Local groups including the Southwark Pensioners Action Group (SPAG) and the Grove Lane Residents Association (GLARA) have also objected to the plans.
In its reasons for objecting, SPAG said: “SPAG welcomes the development of a dementia nursing home on this site and does not in principle object to this use.
“However, it has a number of objections to the design of the building which it believes will affect the quality of the care and would like these aspects to be improved.
“We have been in regular contact with council members and officers in Adult Services over many years expressing views about the provision of care.”
GLARA said it was objecting to the plans because “granting permission would contravene national, regional and local planning policy in multiple ways”.
Newmark, which has prepared Mission Care’s planning statement, said the proposals are in line with the objectives of planning policy and guidance and will deliver an “exceptional” specialist dementia residential care home.
The statement said: “The proposals have been substantially altered to respond to residents’ concerns, and Historic England’s comments.
“As a proposed development of a brownfield site, meeting an identified and acute need, located within a highly sustainable location, planning permission should be granted.”
