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Uproar at care home proposal
PROPOSALS to demolish a Victorian hostel and build a state-of-the-art care home in Queen’s Crescent met fierce opposition at the Town Hall on Thursday.
Councillors and neighbours objected to “outrageous” plans to replace Alexandra House in Maitland Park Villas with a “suffocating” 60-bedroom care home.
But officials pushed through the new development, saying it is needed to provide care for the borough’s growing numbers of older people.
No contractor or care provider has been earmarked for scheme yet.
Ann Panchen, who lives in Studio House next door, said: “We have a problem with the sheer size of the building being proposed. At the moment it is too big. It’s suffocating us.”
The new structure would block out natural light, add to parking pressures and result in a loss of privacy, said Mrs Panchen.
Council officers argued that permission was not required to demolish the building as it was not in a conservation area and the committee was only meant to discuss the access and layout of the application.
Camden planning officer Ben Stalham said the application was a “worst case scenario” just to show 60 beds could actually be fitted on the site.
But Lib Dem councillor Jill Fraser warned that if planning approval was granted the plans would not be changed.
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