Children's home plan for building in Herefordshire

The four-storey December House in Copse Cross Street, Ross-on-Wye, was previously used by the Supported Housing for Young People Project (SHYPP), having been given planning permission for use as a children’s home in 1996.

A new planning application (number 241509) by Kinsman Residential Homes explains that it needs permission from government inspector Ofsted to re-establish this use – “a thorough process which takes several months to complete”.

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For this reason, Kinsman is seeking a formal certificate of lawful use for its plan, which is to accommodate up to six children aged between seven and 17 given round-the-clock support and supervision by two to three live-in staff.

According to the government’s Land Registry, the property was bought for £500,000 last July.

The particulars at the time said the nine furnished bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms had been refurbished, as had four kitchens dotted around the building. It is accessed from the street via a gated courtyard.

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Kinsman says it does not plan any internal or external alterations to the building.

Separately, it gained planning permission a year ago to operate Bronsil House on the Eastnor Estate near Ledbury also as a home for up to six children.

The company points out that Herefordshire has well above the average rate of children in care, which is anyway at record levels nationally.

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The December House proposal would provide local specialist housing for children who have experienced neglect and abuse, who would “benefit more from a quiet and tranquil location”, Kinsman said.

“Unfortunately, the perception of a children’s home can occasionally be pre-determined and negative,” it added.

But it maintained that its plan “will not result in any detrimental impact on neighbours or local residents’ comfort and use of their own properties”.