Newark Town Council planning committee divided over plans for Strawberry Fields Care on Strawberry Hall Lane, Newark

Plans for a 16-bedroom extension and extended parking area at a care home have divided councillors’ opinions.

Newark Town Council planning committee shared their concerns over the size of the extension of the application for Strawberry Fields Care on Strawberry Hall Lane, Newark.

Submitted by Redfirs Care Ltd the plans are for a 16-bedroom extension to the care home and two new bedrooms to be created on the existing first floor.

The application is also for an extended parking area, a new bin store and a cycle rack.

Despite the councillors agreeing that there is a need for more care home beds in Newark, the general feeling was that the number of beds was too dense and there was not enough information about access and the expansion.

The care home specialises in delivering care for older people with personal care needs, and older people suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s, memory loss and similar disorders.

Laurence Goff said he supported the development as care homes are growing in Newark due to the ageing population, but other councillors believed that the plans were trying to ‘squeeze too much’.

Neil Ross said he wouldn’t feel able to support the application due to the lack of information on access to the site.

Tom Collier, who suggested fewer beds and more communal areas, proposed an objection to the proposal, which was supported by four councillors and objected to by the remaining four members.

The chairman of the committee, Lisa Geary had a casting vote, in which she decided to submit comments about the committee’s issues, which include the density of the 16-bedroom extension and the lack of information on the development.