North Yorkshire Council approves construction of 66-bed Eastfield care home

A 66-bed care home for older people with associated access, services, ancillary buildings, and parking is set to be constructed in Middle Deepdale, Eastfield, following the council’s approval of the plan.

Located on the eastern side of the Middle Deepdale development, the plot is currently undeveloped and was previously intended for use as a community hub building which will no longer be developed.

The 66 bedrooms will include ensuite bathrooms and the care home will have other facilities including residents’ lounges, dining rooms, and medical rooms.

A report by the planning authority states that “by its nature, a care home building needs to be of a certain size to be viable, and as a result, the proposal is relatively large-scale within the context of a mainly residential area”.

The planning authority has said that the care home is set to be surrounded by residential developments but at present they are “at most under construction”.

However, the distance to the front of houses on the opposite side of The Boulevard would be approximately 27m.

The scheme received no objections from Eastfield Town Council, the flood authority, the council archaeologist, or Yorkshire Water, and no representations were received from members of the public.

Around 20 car parking spaces are set to occupy the inner space to the southeast of the building, including six spaces for electric vehicles, two for disabled drivers and parking for eight bicycles.

The Highway Authority said that it had no objections as “submitted information has provided some assurance that the residents are unlikely to have cars”.

According to the report, a bus service through Middle Deepdale is proposed to be established “in due course”, and in addition to a nearby café and as yet unoccupied shop units, the closest facilities will be located in the centre of Eastfield around 1km away.

The planning authority has noted that “a care home would imply some greater impact on primary healthcare infrastructure” which has been raised with the NHS Integrated Care Board.

However, the ICB has indicated that “no additional monies are sought over and above those which have already been secured to pay for improvements to Eastfield Surgery”.

It concludes that as the proposal is set to generate “a larger and older population than before… it reinforces the importance of securing the funds which had previously been agreed”.

The plan was approved by North Yorkshire Council on Thursday, June 22, subject to conditions.