A care home will open in Winnersh despite concerns for parking, and any additional pressure it may bring for local healthcare.
Jenevi Educare had applied for a change of use to turn 54 Welby Crescent in Winnersh from a dwelling into a small residential care home for children with behavioural and emotional difficulties including autism.
It will provide care for two children, and will have a maximum of eight full-time carers, operating on a shift basis. There will only be one live-in staff member.
Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee approved the changing of the building, previously used as a limited home, to use as a care home, last week.
The proposal was brought to the meeting by councillor Paul Fishwick, who raised an objection over the amount of car parking spaces provided in the proposals.
Original planning permission said that there would be three parking spaces, but this has since been revised to two.
Cllr Fishwick said his main issue was over the original proposal of three parking spaces, given the lack of space it would cause.
He then pointed out that newer plans indicated a car would sometimes be parked on the road, which could potentially be disruptive for others living on the street.
However, the council’s highway officer did not see this as a problem.
Neighbours had expressed opposition to the conversion of the residential home into a care home, worrying that it would set a ‘precedent’ for future similar conversions to take place.
One resident wrote that local amenities of schools and healthcare facilities are at ‘near capacity’, meaning a children’s home ‘could diminish quality of services to existing residents’.
Some neighbours also complained that Jenevi Educare had not communicated well with residents prior to the plans seeking approval, and had ‘no track record’ of running a care home.
Steven Barker Hodges, who represented Jenevi Educare at the meeting, said that their proposal “.. holds significant promise to our community”.
He explained: “Like many others, our community is facing a critical shortage of children’s homes.
“The demand for safe, supportive environments far outpaces the available spaces, leaving many children without the care they need.”
Mr Barker Hodges also assured they were ‘committed to becoming good neighbours’ after plans received some objections from residents.
He said they will do this in a number of ways.
He said his company will be: “.. maintaining transparent communication with our neighbours, conducting community building activities and events, hiring local staff and sourcing goods and services from nearby businesses where possible.”
Despite neighbour concerns, members of Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee approved the conversion.
