Planning approval for Cheshire retirement apartments following successful appeal
Planning permission has been granted for the regeneration of a former Cheshire nursing home, following a successful planning appeal by Churchill Retirement Living.
The provider will create 39 independent living retirement apartments at Cypress House nursing home, on South Acre Drive, Handforth.
The site has been vacant since 2006.
Churchill says the development will contribute more than £300,000 a year to the local economy and support around 78 jobs both during and after construction.
In the appeal decision notice, the Government’s Planning Inspector, Stephen Wilkinson, concluded that the proposed development “would not cause harm to the character and appearance of the area”, and stated that in reaching his decision he placed “significant weight on the provision of older persons’ accommodation given the extent of demand for this type of use in the council area, which is higher than the national average”.
The new development will provide attractive, high quality, secure and self-contained accommodation in landscaped grounds.
As with all Churchill Retirement Living developments, owners will enjoy independent living and a sense of community, with a communal owners’ lounge, a guest suite, a lodge manager, and a 24-hour emergency call alarm service.
Stuart Goodwill, managing director of Churchill’s planning consultancy, said: “This is a very positive result and we will now look forward to starting work as soon as possible on this new development which will create a vibrant new community in the heart of Handforth.
“Retirement housing is the most effective form of residential development for generating local economic growth, supporting local jobs, and increasing high street spend. The new apartments will also help improve the health and wellbeing of those who live there, and meet the housing needs of many older people in Handforth and the surrounding area.”
Churchill says the new development will meet existing and future need in the local area and provide benefits such as allowing older people to downsize and free up under-occupied houses in the local area for families, reduce health risks for residents, contributing to savings to local NHS and social care services of approximately £3,500 per person per year, while providing older people with safety, security and companionship.
