This website has been created to provide further information and generate feedback about plans by Morrison Community Care Group for a new care home to the east of Leicester.
LOCATION PLAN
THE LOCALITY
The site is located on the eastern side of the city of Leicester, well connected to existing services and transport links. It is located in the south west corner of the Leicestershire Golf Club but does not form part of the golf course and is unused land and surplus to requirements. To the north and east of the site is the golf
course, and to the south and west of the site is residential development.
THE SITE
The site is greenfield, with dense tree cover as an aspect of the golf course on the eastern boundary and the Evington Brook to the north.
It is proposed that the site is accessed off Gartree Road to the south west of the site, providing a suitable distance beyond the roundabouts to the west, and minimising any potential impact to the tree belt and existing paths.
The site is well connected to the surrounding residential area, located in a sustainable location with nearby local services and transport links. The land is unused and has few features of interest, and development can be integrated into the context of its surroundings through thoughtful design and layout.
Leicestershire golf club
The proposed development of this small area of unused land owned by the
Leicestershire Golf Club aims to secure the club’s future. The Environment Agency
plans to significantly reduce the club’s licensed water volume and abstraction
period, necessitating infrastructure for storing winter rainfall and a modern water
delivery system.
The estimated cost for a sustainable irrigation system is around £1 million, which the club cannot raise without this development. Leicester City Council is aware of this need, as it relates to the club’s commitment to preserving the land for the next century.
SOCIAL & ECONOMIC BENEFITS
The development proposed will result in the delivery of significant social, economic and environmental benefits.
The provision of much needed care housing to meet the needs of older people is an important social benefit of the development proposal, and will also result in reduced isolation and loneliness which is a widespread concern for a large section of older people. The development proposal also includes an element of care which is likely to have wider benefits to local GPs and hospitals through a decrease in admissions.
With regards to economic impacts, the development proposal will create local employment, both in the construction phase through the need for local workers and materials and the indirect impacts that this brings, but also significantly in the creation of employment in facilitating the on-site services in the region of around 100 employees.
Furthermore, these employees will bring increased spending to the local and neighbourhood area, thus supporting the vitality of Leicester through the increased use of the nearby services.
PLANNING CONTEXT
Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 states that planning applications must be determined in accordance with the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The Development Plan comprises the Leicester City Core Strategy (LCCS) and saved policies of the City of Leicester Local Plan (2006).
At the time of submission (June 2024), the Council were in the process of preparing their Emerging Local Plan (2020-2036) for an Examination hearing, set to commence on 2nd July 2024.
The provision of a care home will help contribute towards the development needs as set out in adopted LCCS, which indicates a housing target of 25,600 homes are needed within Leicester City between 2006-2026. This is supported by LCCS Policy 1 (Location of Development), which states the City Council will work with partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure the delivery of housing as part of sustainable mixed communities. A 72-bed care home will make a significant contribution to the local housing need by allowing the elderly to downsize to a more appropriate living space that caters more appropriately for their needs, freeing up local housing.
LCCS Policy 6 (Housing Strategy) encourages the provision of Extra Care accommodation to meet the identified needs of an increasing elderly population. The LCCS identifies that more elderly populations are clustered on the outer fringes of the City, particularly to the east where the Site is located, identifying a need in this area.
Additionally, the Emerging Leicester Local Plan Section 5 (Housing), Paragraph 5.19, identifies a range of housing must be provided, which includes accessible and older people’s housing. Policy Ho03 Housing Mix (b) determines proposals for supported living including retirement homes and care homes will be supported.
The provision of a care home to meet the needs of older people is considered to be an important social benefit to which significant weight should be attached. It has been identified that there is a material shortfall in the quality of existing care supply, most notably the lack of dedicated dementia and wet-room provision within the 5km catchment area of the site. As of 2024, there is demand for 1,168 elderly care beds within the catchment which is forecast to increase to 1,471 by 2034. Furthermore, the elderly population within the catchment is anticipated to grow by 18.8% over the next 10 years.
In terms of existing provision within the catchment area, there are a total of 37 care homes which provide approximately 1,469 effective beds. Whilst this is not a numerical shortfall, it should be noted that 75.7% of the provision are purpose build units, of which there are 19 older style purpose homes. Indeed, only one care home in the catchment is classified as a state of the art facility. Further, in terms of specialist dementia need, there is limited dedicated provision within the catchment area and analysis identified a shortfall of 392 dementia units.
The material shortfall in specialist care need is anticipated to grow as the proportion of elderly residents and acute care needs grow. In addition, a care home at this location will further reduce isolation and loneliness, which is a widespread concern for a large section of older people. This is of particular importance given circa 40,000 people aged over 65 living within the 5km catchment of the site. The development proposal also includes an element of care which is likely to have wider benefits to local GPs and hospitals through a decrease in admissions. Further details pertaining to the demographic analysis undertaken can be found in the submitted Desktop Planning Needs Assessment.
Given the above, there is a compelling and evidence-based need for a new high-quality care home at this location that can cater for residents with a wide range of specialist nursing needs, including dementia. The proposed development will offer the opportunity for a flexible facility that is designed appropriately for all types of care, including residential, nursing home and dementia care. A further needs assessment will be undertaken at the point of completion, alongside both the NHS and Clinical Commissioning Group, to identify the most prevalent needs that may have arisen at such time.
Given the above, it is considered that the development of a care home to meet the needs of older people solidify the principle of development in this area. Further, the sale of the land will provide vital funds to the golf club that owns the land to assist with improvements to the golf course to ensure its long term position.