City hotel could be converted into care home to meet ‘community need’

The applicant said that a care home would likely see “far less levels of comings and goings” than a hotel

A Cambridgeshire city hotel could be converted into a care home to meet an “identified community need”. Applicants Mr Peerbocus and Mr Khan have proposed to change the use of the former Lodge Hotel on Lincoln Road in Peterborough to become a supported living and care home for adults.

The existing use, as a hotel with 11 bedrooms, would be converted to offer six bedrooms for the care home. The applicant said: “The proposal is to provide facility for adults from the age of 18 years+.

“The residents who will reside at the property will require some form of care/help and support but will mainly be independent. It is not proposed to accommodate ‘very high need adults’ or ‘secure accommodation’.”

The application states that the proposals would be “entirely aimed at meeting the housing needs of the most vulnerable”. The number of staff required at the site would include three day staff (one manager and two careers) and two staff overnight.

The site would accommodate a maximum of four on-site parking spaces. Shift patterns would be managed and staggered so there is no need for on-street parking.

According to the proposals, staff would be recruited from Peterborough and as such “it is likely that some member[s] of staff will be able to cycle to the site”. The proposal would provide a total of 10 cycle spaces.

If the plans were approved, the property, near the city centre, would provide suitable accommodation for the residents as well as staff. This includes bedrooms, living area, kitchen, bathroom facilities, and outdoor space.

The applicant added: “Taking the above into account, it is considered that the proposal would meet an identified community need, provide suitable living conditions and be located within reasonable proximity to local services and facilities.”

A planning statement says that whilst the use would differ in character from a hotel, the existing use would “generate significant high level of comings and goings which would give rise to undue noise and disturbance in a residential area, compared to the proposed use”.

It added that the proposals are considered to have “far less levels of comings and goings”.