Buxton's Portland nursing home will become 13 new apartments

The plans for the change of use from a has been given the green light and will see the former Buxton care home become 13 new residential apartments.

The plans were submitted by Mr D Rai who said: “Mr Rai said: “The residential apartments have been designed over four floors.

“On each floor there is a mix between one to two bedroom apartments, all including a kitchen/living, spacious bedrooms and bathroom.”

The design and access statement says a secure garden is located to the south west of the site, situated away from the entrance and parking, providing ‘additional outdoor amenity space for the residents in a safe environment’.

It is also noted the new extension will be a continuation from the materials palette on the existing development, allowing the extension to blend in with the existing building.

Lift access is provided centrally to all floors for easy movement for residents.

Mr Rai said: “Stairs and circulation spaces have been situated at the end of the building to allow staff to move around easily and allow them to maximise efficiency when caring for residents.”

There were several public comments regarding the application made on the council’s website.

Residents Andrew and Sarah Hargreaves of Park Road, Buxton said: “The nursing home building has multiple floors, and with the proposed development, there is a significant concern about our privacy being compromised.

“The previous residents of the nursing home were often confined to bed, and as such, we rarely saw them.

“However, with the new development, the residents are likely to be more active, leading to potential privacy issues. We fear that the residents of the new flats will have a direct line of sight into our property, which will be intrusive and affect our quality of life.”

Another resident Colin Budenberg said: “The submitted plans do not show detail of storage of 39 bins for 13 apartments.

“Nor does the plan show how 26 bins would be placed outside the apartments on alternate weeks for collection without blocking pavements.

“There is insufficient parking ‐ with seven two-bedroom apartments included alongside six one-bedroom ‐ a minimum of 20 parking spaces would be needed to avoid further parking and traffic issues on Park Road.”