More than 60 new jobs could be created if 78-bed care home is built in Darley Dale

A new 78-bed care home is set to get the go-ahead near Matlock, creating more than 60 jobs.
NewsNews
News

The plans were filed by Frontier Estates Ltd for land off Dale Road South in Darley Dale.

Now members of the Derbyshire Dales District Council planning committee have been advised to approve the proposals on Tuesday, December 4.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The new care home would sit on the site of what is currently Darley Lodge and accompanying grassland.

Access to the site would stem directly off the A6.

If approved, the care home would stand three storeys at its highest and two storeys at the roadside.

It would include a café, hair salon, cinema and activity space, gym and a garden.

Alongside this, the developers also plan to convert what is currently Darley Lodge into seven apartments.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Office buildings on the site, known as Servo House, would be demolished to make way for the care home – they have been vacant “for some time”.

Three new houses will also be built on the site.

In total, 48 car parking spaces will be provided, 15 for the apartments and houses, and 33 for the care home.

A pedestrian access to the site has been proposed by the applicants, but Derbyshire County Council’s highways department has recommended that this is removed, claiming it would not be safe.

The district council’s economic development manager states that “whilst the potential loss of employment space is not supported, the proposed scheme would at least bring this brownfield site back into use”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One member of the public has raised concerns about the proposal, stating that the A6 “is a fast road with a blind bend that is dangerous for pedestrians”.

They said that “it is necessary to leave the access at speed in order to avoid collisions due to lack of visibility”.

District council officers also felt the loss of office space was a shame, but that the new use of the site would still provide jobs.

They wrote: “Although the proposed development is not for office space, care homes nevertheless generate employment within the care sector.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Therefore, a level of employment use will remain on the site which is a benefit to the local economy. It is therefore considered that the proposed development of this potential employment site is acceptable.”

Officers wrote that although the building would be “of considerable size” it “will not cause undue harm to the character and appearance of the area”.

An on-site care team will be present 24-hours a day with shift patterns which start and end outside peak hours.

It is thought that the care home site would employ around 62 people, along with other indirect jobs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Approximately 20 members of staff will be on site at any one time.

All 78 apartments within the care home would be single occupancy.

A report prepared by Gillings Planning on behalf of the applicants, states: “The site is located within a sustainable location and makes effective use of previously developed land and the reuse of an existing building in Darley Lodge.

“The proposal will help meet a very significant need for elderly care, and a contribution to overall housing land supply in providing a range of accommodation types.

“The benefits are extensive and weigh heavily in favour of the scheme.”

Eddie Bisknell , Local Democracy Reporting Service