PLANS to build a new care home in Grayshott were last week, given the go ahead by East Hampshire district councillors. Members of the district council's north planning committee agreed with officers recommendations, and granted permission for the 15-bedroom care home, in front of the current Donec Children's Home, in Headley Road. The application – put forward by Elizabeth Fitzroy Support, a charity which helps adults with learning disabilities – allows a detached two-storey building in front of the existing care home on the existing site. The 15 bedrooms will be arranged in clusters of five around a communal kitchen and dining room area. Each bedroom on the new development will have en-suite facilities with two assisted bathrooms between the five bedrooms in each section. The existing Donec building has been used as a care home for many years and has been occupied by Elizabeth Fitzroy Support for over 40 years. Currently 14 people are cared for at the existing home, where they have lived since childhood. The application was made because the children are now becoming young adults and their current accommodation is not suitable for the extra space and privacy they need. Grayshott Parish Council raised no objection to the proposed development, although recognising it was outside the settlement boundary, added this would not set a precedent as the plans would benefit the community. East Hampshire District Council received six letters raising concerns over a number of issues including the proposed development being out of character, providing inadequate parking and setting an undesirable precedent.
