Decision date set on plan for new specialist care home on former Sunderland car sales site

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee are set to discuss plans for the long-vacant former car sales site in the Castle ward.

The land sits on the junction of North Hylton Road and Castletown Way, near the recently built Lidl supermarket.

After being demolished and cleared around 10 years ago, the former car sales site is largely vacant, with part of the land used as a hand car wash facility.

New proposals from applicant Verum Victum Healthcare aim to build a large specialist care home on the site catering for a range of needs.

A 94-unit care home is proposed, made up of 58 apartments for extra care, specialist care and assisted living accommodation and a 36-bed intermediate care facility.

Submitted designs show the building forming an ‘F’ shape, with the main focus around a ‘horseshoe’ section with a central communal garden, and dedicated parking facilities.

A planning statement submitted with the application adds the facility would enhance independence as well as providing specialist dementia care and provision to “support the timely discharge from hospital”.

During public consultation on the plans, one comment was received asking about the business that currently operates on the site.

A council report confirmed that if planning permission is granted for the care home, “the temporary car wash facility on the site would cease”.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department have deemed the care home scheme acceptable and recommended it for approval, subject to conditions.

A report prepared for decision-makers said the plans would “provide a community facility and contribute to meeting a specialist housing need”.

The council committee report adds: “Subject to the discharge of / compliance with recommended conditions it is considered that the proposed development would be of an acceptable design and have no harmful visual impacts when viewed from the public domain, and it would have no unacceptable impacts on the amenity of the occupiers of existing dwellings in the vicinity of the application site including during the construction process.

“It is also considered that the proposed development would afford future occupiers of the care home with an acceptable standard of amenity.

“Subject to the discharge of / compliance with recommended conditions, it is considered that the proposed development would have no unacceptable impacts in relation to sustainable travel and highway safety, ecology, flooding / drainage and contamination”.

The council report adds 26 members of staff would be employed at the care home, with 21 working during the daytime and five working overnight.

A final decision on the plan rests with councillors on the Planning and Highways Committee, who will next meet on Monday, March 6, at City Hall.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 5.30pm and will be open to the public.