New care home planned on the edge of Crawley

Muller Property Group wants permission to demolish an existing dwelling west of Balcombe Road and construct a 64-bed facility.

The site is south of the Parson’s Pig pub and restaurant and the Premier Inn hotel.

An outline planning application for the care home has been submitted to Crawley Borough Council.

The site comprises a detached residential dwelling set within a substantial garden.

According to the application: “Muller Property Group are in discussion with a number of care home operators who are interested in taking on the proposed care home, but as this stage the applicant is pursuing an outline application to confirm the principle of a care home on the site and confirm the scale and parameters of the use.

“The new building will provide up to 3,810sqm (GIA) of floorspace over ground and first floor level with ancillaries/services at part-second floor level within the roof space. Its footprint and position within the site allows for landscaping, gardens, and planting around the building, and hard surfacing including vehicle parking towards the front of the site.

“The proposal is for a high-quality contemporary design which will support the residential character of the area. The building comprises two ‘wings’ either side of the main entrance, behind which sits an enclosed courtyard garden.

“It is a large plot that is easily capable of accommodating the quantum of development that is proposed, incorporating large landscape buffers, gardens, and retaining many mature trees. A limited number of trees within the site will need to be removed to facilitate redevelopment, however a comprehensive landscaping and tree replanting scheme is proposed.

“Vehicular access is achieved directly from Balcombe Road, replacing the existing vehicular access to the site which needs to be widened in order to ensure the required visibility splays can be achieved and highway safety protected.”

To comment visit www.crawley.gov.uk/planning using code CR/2021/0685/OUT.