Brain injury rehab care home to be built on disused and neglected land in Boldon Colliery

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee discussed a planning application for the vacant site off Brockley Terrace in the Boldon Colliery area when they met on Monday (March 10).

The site sits at the end of a terrace of houses, close to the junction with Hedworth Lane, and was historically occupied by Boldon Colliery Working Men’s Club before its closure and demolition.

Plans from applicant Voyage 1 Ltd, submitted last year, sought full planning permission for a two-storey care home building on the site along with external amenity space and landscaping.

A design and access statement submitted to council officials at the time said the development would include “twelve transitional living apartments” and would form part of Voyage Care’s brain rehabilitation service.

Those behind the care scheme said the vacant site “provides opportunity for high quality residential care home accommodation” and the proposed care service would support service-users and provide “stepping stones to independence”.

Councillors at the latest meeting of the planning committee voted to unanimously approve the application, in line with recommendations from officers.

Councillor Shirley Ford, Green Group representative, said: “I welcome a lot of the aspects of this, it’s a care home, clearly we need more care homes particularly for this specific purpose.”

She also welcomed the “sustainable nature” of the proposal, including aspects such as photovoltaic solar panels and heat pumps.

Councillor Andrew Guy, South Tyneside Alliance Group representative, said he was pleased to see the development included bird and bat boxes to support local wildlife.

He added: “I used to walk home along that street many times and that building, it was good to have it pulled down, but it’s often when a building is pulled down and it’s left… it’s not the end, it’s still that sort of eyesore.

“I think this development here actually adds value to the local area, and as Cllr Ford said, we do need more care homes and care facilities.”

Council planning reports noted “up to 12 residents would be accommodated in the care home” and “care staff would operate on a two-shift system with up to 10 staff working on the day shift (8am to 10pm) and two staff on the night shift (10pm to 8am).”

Documents also confirmed no on-site car parking is proposed but confirmed the applicant had “agreed to provide four off-site car parking spaces to the immediate west of the site on Wilton Gardens South.”

Council planners, in a committee report, noted day-to-day operational matters and management associated with the care home would be the responsibility of the operator, and the care home would also need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

The council committee report added: “The site is, in principle, considered to be an acceptable location for the proposal.”

Those behind the care home plans previously said the scheme would provide “transitional living accommodation” which is “designed to bring the benefits of independent living with the security of specialist support close by.”

The applicant added the Boldon Colliery service would support individuals to co-create personalised support plans focusing on interests, priorities and skills to enable the “best quality of life outcomes.”