Filey extra care facility recommended for approval despite objections

The plan, from Housing & Care 21, would see a two-storey housing development built on land at Filey Fields Farm in Scarborough Road.

As well as the 70 flats, which would be targeted mainly at over 55s, there would be a salon, cafe, community lounge, guest beds, staff facilities and 36 parking spaces.

There would be 38 one-bedroom apartments and 32 two-bedroom apartments under the plans, with potential residents able to choose whether to rent or enter into a shared ownership agreement.

A report, which will go before Scarborough Council’s planning and development committee on Thursday next week, has recommended the scheme for approval.

Filey Town Council and four local residents have objected to the scheme.

The town council says it cannot support the plans as it has “concerns about flood risk on the land [and the] overdevelopment of the site”.

One of the local residents, who has not been named in the report, adds: “To approve this application would be to ignore local residents who are concerned about the impact on facilities and infrastructure in the town, particularly health care.”

In his report to councilllors, planning manager David Walker says that the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has raised no objected.

He adds: “Whilst officers note the concerns of the town council and the objectors with respect to health care provision in the town, the picture presented to the Local Planning Authority by the NHS is that there is no issue with primary care infrastructure provision.

“This is not to suggest that the objectors have not experienced issues with primary care in the town, but merely that the NHS advises that any issues are not infrastructure related and are thus outside of the remit of planning.”

Scarborough Council’s planning committee will also be asked to add a condition that 15% of the flats be classed as affordable.

Housing & Care 21, as a Registered Social Landlord, has said that all the flats would be classed as affordable but there is no planning policy that would require it to do so and, as such, 15% in the maximum, the council can legally insist on. The applicant would not be precluded from offering the remaining 85% of the flats at the same price, as per its stated intentions.