A FORMER care home in Bodmin which has been empty since its closure could have a future use for the provision of specialist social housing for vulnerable and disabled people.

Alpus and Lime Developments are seeking to transform the disused Belmont House nursing home, which it refers to as Bodmin House in the planning documents submitted to Cornwall Council, into 13 units of accommodation.

It would comprise of eight self-contained flats within the existing building in addition to the construction of five bungalows within the wider curtilage of the site at the property on Love Lane in the town.

The proposals at present are at the pre-application stage, where a potential applicant submits its proposals to Cornwall Council in order to obtain the planning authority’s view on whether it would be likely to obtain approval if it was to be progressed to a full planning application.

Pre-application advice responses also detail what would be necessary to increase the chances of approval if the proposals as submitted might find itself facing difficulties in obtaining approval.

At times, the response if the proposals are unacceptable and unlikely to obtain support would make clear that it is ‘unlikely to obtain officer support’.

In the instance of the proposals for the former Belmont House, Alpus and Lime Developments do not presently own the site, with it being a possibility that a deal to acquire the site would be contingent on either obtaining planning approval or a positive pre-application advice response.

The developer’s planning agent told Cornwall Council: “Bodmin House is a former nursing home that has been vacant for some time and is no longer in active care use.

“The applicant proposes to bring this underutilised building and its associated site back into meaningful residential use, delivering a total of 13 units comprising eight self-contained flats within the existing building and five bungalows within the wider site curtilage.

“The scheme is specifically designed to provide specialised social housing for vulnerable and disabled people, addressing a recognised gap in specialist and adapted residential provision within the local area.

“The applicant is committed to ensuring that all units are designed and managed to meet the operational requirements of this occupier group, with accessibility and suitability at the forefront of the design approach.”

The developer said it was seeking Cornwall Council’s views on the following: whether it would support the principle of the change of use of the building from a C2 to a C3B classification for specialist social housing purposes; any specific design, access or amenity consideration that the authority wishes to see addressed, the likely scope of what supporting documents and technical assessments that are required and any site-specific restraints and designations that is deemed relevant.

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It added: “We welcome the opportunity to engage positively with the Planning Authority at this early stage and are committed to working collaboratively to ensure the proposal is brought forward in a manner that responds fully to the Authority's requirements and the needs of the local community.”