Telford & Wrekin Council refuses to certify use of house for children

Planners have refused to grant a certificate of lawfulness for a four-bed detached Telford house in one of the towns premier addresses to be used as a residential institution for three young people.

The Telford & Wrekin Council officials consider that the property at Admaston Spa, Admaston, would classify as a change of use and that they need to consider the impact it would have on the area.

Planners say that children could not be considered as a ‘household’ because “they were not capable of looking after themselves.’ The proposal would therefore classify as a change of use.

There would also be a manager and two or three additional carers on site, with carers sleeping overnight.

Officials say they must also consider the impact of the change of use.

“Factors which contribute to the materiality of a change of use would include car usage and vehicular movements, in this case associated with staff shift patterns, shift change over periods and visitors to the site.”

But they wrote that it is not clear exactly what time staff will change over, once their overnight shift has ended and how long this handover period would last.

This meant that the planners “cannot be certain that the vehicle movements associated with the proposed use would not exceed those associated with a domestic dwelling.”

Applicant Ibukun Makinde, of Felyx Capital Limited, in Sutton Coldfield, acting for Prosper Supported Living Services, had said there is “no material difference in planning terms between the proposed use and the current use as a dwelling.”

They added: “Comings and goings would be no greater than occur at present, hence there would be no undue disturbance to any neighbours.”