Former Ascot care home could be refurbished into flats and houses

A former Ascot care home could be partially knocked down to make way for flats and houses – but affordable housing will not be a part of the plan according to the application documents.

The site of the former Sandridge House care home in London Road is allocated for homes in the Borough Local Plan (BLP).

Developer Gavacan Homes is currently seeking permission to put homes there.

A previous application to redevelop the site into 33 apartments was refused in 2019 due to the height and mass of the proposed new building.

Planning officers believed the original scheme would be ‘at odds’ and ‘incompatible’ with the surrounding development, to the ‘detriment’ of the character of the area.

Now, developer Gavacan Homes (Ascot) has submitted a set of scaled-down plans to the Royal Borough.

It sought some pre-application advice from RBWM officers before doing this, to try to make sure it could shape the scheme into something that could be approved this time around.

Gavacan Homes say the scale and massing of the scheme has been ‘carefully considered to avoid overbearing or unneighbourly impacts’ following the 2019 refusal.

The application looks to renovate the former care home and other buildings into a mix of 14 flats and houses.

Sandridge House will be partially demolished and extended to make way for seven two-bed flats and one town house.

The buildings known as The Cottage and The Bungalow to the north would also be demolished and six town houses would be built instead.

Plans for a ‘slightly denser’ development on this part of the site were ‘actively encouraged’ by RBWM planning officers, according to the application.

The three-bedroom town houses will be 2.5 storeys high, with a single storey rear extension and private gardens.

Representing the company, Ascot Design – an architectural design company – said the homes’ sizes have ‘been carefully considered’ to ensure that they ‘integrate harmoniously’ with what is already there.

They have also been designed not to harm the amenity of neighbouring properties, the application claims – ie, how pleasant it is to live in the existing homes nearby.

Importantly, Sandridge House itself is a non-designated heritage asset – meaning it is historically important, though not quite at the level of a listed building.

Ascot Design said the conversion, alteration and extension of Sandridge House would be ‘sensitive’ and ensure a ‘cohesive and harmonious appearance’.

Applicants said the plans will ‘respect the character of the area’ and ‘preserve the settings and integrity’ of the nearby Grade II-listed All Saints Church.

For parking, proposals indicate one space per flat and two spaces per house.

But if this plan goes through, it looks as though there will be no affordable housing included.

Normally, for any residential development of 10 or more dwellings, 30 per cent of affordable housing is required.

However, Woolf Bond Planning consultancy, representing the applicants, said it is ‘not anticipated’ that the site will be able to provide affordable housing viably.

The consultancy explained that this is because of the costs associated with the conversion and alterations planned for the former care home.

To view the full plans, insert 26/00402 into publicaccess.rbwm.gov.uk/online-applications