A NEW care home has been given planning permission in the Whitby Park area of Ellesmere Port.

Cheshire West and Chester councillors approved a proposal from Exemplar Health Care Ltd to use a former haulage site on Chester Road to construct the facility.

It will consist of 20 bedrooms, and will accommodate ‘adults with complex care needs’.

Charlotte Lloyd, from Exemplar, said the home will cater for residents who have sustained brain injuries and physical care needs.

She added: “We understand the trauma of our service users. There is a shortage of specialist nursing home providers [in this sector].”

The representative went on to say that CWAC are not planning on building their own similar home, so Exemplar are filling a gap in the care market.

However, the proposal was not without opposition. Ward councillor Peter Rooney said the development was ‘too big and out of keeping’ with the area.

Cllr Rooney told the committee: “Rarely have I been contacted by so many people over a development. The developer has done little to nothing to allay residents what type of residential home they will build.”

Cllr Rooney also cited neighbours’ concerns over parking, and the flow of schoolchildren past the site, with a number of primary schools in the area.

However, councillors were told that the parking provision in the application complied with CWAC minimums, and that there would be little movement to and from the site during school arriving and leaving times.

Councillors voted 8-0-1 in favour of the scheme, with one abstention and Cllr Rooney not taking part.