Care home plan approved for former Ford and Hylton Social Club site in Sunderland

Earlier in 2021, Sunderland City Council’s planning department received an application for a new 30-bed care hub in the Pallion ward.

The two-storey facility is planned for the site of the former Ford and Hylton Social Club off Poole Road with Exemplar HealthCare Services Ltd as the proposed operator.

According to planning documents, the development is expected to create around 100 members of staff – with a maximum of 34-38 on site at any one time.

At a meeting of the council’s Planning and Highways (East) Committee on Wednesday, January 5, the plans were unanimously backed by councillors.

There were questions from the committee about the risks of ‘overspill parking’ onto nearby residential streets.

But council planning officers confirmed there had been no objection from highways officers over parking for the development.

The meeting heard highways officers also confirmed levels of car parking were “deemed appropriate” for the development, along with a submitted travel plan which provides opportunities for “alternative forms of travel.”

The Ford and Hylton Social Club site was originally eyed up for housing 2000s, but has been vacant for a number of years following the demolition of social club buildings, and the meeting heard people in the area have been keen to see the ‘eyesore’ land put to good use.

Although the principle for residential development on the land, including a care home, has been accepted through planning approvals in the past, no schemes have been brought forward to date.

Councillor James Doyle welcomed the new care home plan and described it as a “great addition to a vacant site.”

Meanwhile, councillor Niall Hodson said the development would be a “real positive” for the area.

Cllr Hodson went on to say: “This site has sat empty for a very long time and is a bit of a local eyesore.

“There has been a lot of very good quality development in High Ford recently, the big estates that have been built there on long-standing derelict land are really going to rejuvenate that area quite a lot.

“This to me fits in with the work that has been done there and is a real positive to see this [site] brought back into use in a fairly tidy fashion.”

According to a planning report prepared for councillors, Exemplar HealthCare has more than 30 specialist care homes across the UK and provides high-quality nursing care for adults with complex needs.

Highly-trained staff are experienced in caring for people with needs such as Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Complex Dementia, Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Injury and mental health conditions.

At the proposed Pallion site, a range of jobs would be created including carers/nurses, management, administration, maintenance, cleaners and caterers.

Communal facilities for residents would also include a residential therapy room and an entrance hub facility with suitable meeting and sitting areas for visiting relatives, as well as landscaped gardens.

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