Conclusions

Buying a house is the biggest single transaction of your life. Care home, Nursing home and groups involved in ‘care in the community’ are only concerned with their business interests and certainly not about you. You should realise that no-one, other than fellow residents, is in the least concerned whether permission is granted or not. Issues which are logical to you, the council do not even take account of. As Mr Goodall says, do not become bogged down with such matters as… (the North Wiltshire) Local Plan(s) and NPPF…  Just know they do not work in your favour.

If Somerset Council outsources and funds 1,500 care/nursing home places then there is every chance that a care/nursing home on your doorstep has Council funded residents. Obtain numbers by use of the Freedom of Information Act and expect a great deal of prevarication.  As the ageing population increases it must be anticipated that there will be more outsourcing and care and nursing homes will require more accommodation.

Issues such as houses, like my own, being overlooked are conveniently ignored. In practice when the care home was actually built it looks right over your property, is ‘taller’ than apparently stated and may not bear any resemblance to what you visualised on a plan. I have been forced to plant Beech trees and bushes to obscure my front garden being overlooked by the new development. Were I to have grown Leylandii trees instead, it is somewhat ironic that Wiltshire Council would be quick to act on any complaint by the care home owner if the height of the trees exceeded 1.66 metres in height and yet, (if they have intervened) until recently chose to ignore the ongoing breach of Willowbrook resident’s Human Right to a private life.

I have outlined several of the Council’s oversights including failure to impose conditions about the use of the rear of the care home, car parking and collection of materials. There have been other planning breaches such as demolition of a garage without consent and failure to post signs. It seems to me that the only way the care home owner can be prevented from stretching these conditions and undertakings and controlling the highly unsettling repeated applications for planning applications being made, is for the Council to accept that mistakes have been made. They should seek either a legal remedy to prevent resident’s Human Right to privacy and right to peaceful enjoyment of our possessions (including the home) OR state to the care home owner that Council funding is to be withdrawn should these issues continue.
The ‘mantra’ that planning permission would have been granted ‘in any case’ is used by Wiltshire Council. Would the Planning Committee have granted permission ‘in any case’ had I been able to make representations to the committee that my Human Right to privacy and enjoyment of my home were to be breached by ambulances being allowed yo attend any time day or night (and assurances reneged upon). The care home owner’s statement (via his agent) that he wanted to ‘minimise the impact locally’ I will allow you to decide upon.

I am on record as saying that morally and ethically it would be wrong and indefensible to add to the 7 council funded residents paid for by Wiltshire Council as of late 2014. There are now 9, as of 21st January, 2016. (I am bemused why this date was chosen and I immediately think of the recent ‘arrival’ with what appeared to be his/her worldly possessions)

Finally, it took nine months for my complaints to be investigated, my comments about the conduct of the planning meeting are on record (possibly the reason for oversights) and my view on apparently ‘cutting and pasting’ the extract about ‘working proactively to secure the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area.’  Not one decision has gone in favour of residents, save for a restriction on working hours which should have been ‘conditioned’ both times in any case. To borrow other resident’s phrases, ‘… and we know from the previous planning applications that this will be just a start.’ And ‘…is this not just the start for the expansion of A——e House into Willowbrook and surrounding area.’

Not only Willowbrook residents feel that things are one-sided. Here are a selection of phrases about the imposition of a residential care home elsewhere in Swindon:-

…after the tear jerking case put forward … we sounded like we were ogre’s.

…decision seem to have been made up prior to the meeting…When you read the letter… it read as though they had already received planning permission.

the landlord even threatened that should he not win  he would use the building for immigrants for which he would not require permission (blackmail).

Only 3 houses were contacted during the planning application… which was increased to 5 when the 2nd application… when I found out.

We are amateurs and they are professionals I didn’t think we had much chance.

To date I have not SEO’d (search engine optimised) my site. The Yoast assessment is that my tone is far too ‘passive.’ The apparent attitude and impact on residents of issues such as the current ongoing attendance of ambulances (22nd June, 2016) in Willowbrook make me wonder why I have exercised such restraint. The care home owner also lives in a Purton cul-de-sac. I would be interested to know how he would react were roles reversed.

The below references give details of the strength of feeling about the care home, its owner and the imposition upon us of an unwanted private business impacting in the cul-de-sac, and who it benefits.(A check of the website https://companycheck.co.uk/ may provide more information which could assist in relation to your ‘latter day saint.’) As stated those affected are mainly older people and widows.

I am in possession of e-mails and other correspondence in support of the information I have provided. You may also wish to refer to Planning Applications on Wiltshire Council’s web-site under refs 13/00244/FUL, 14/10184/VAR and 16/00779/FUL