Plans to turn family house into children's home are approved

Plans by Serenity Care Homes to convert a semi-detached house on a Dudley housing estate into a children’s home have been given the go-ahead by the local authority.

The company said the two-bedroom house on the corner of Laurel Road and Woodsorrel Road, on the Wrens Nest Estate, would be used to house just one child at a time, along with live-in care staff.

The council has recently turned down two other applications to convert residential properties into children’s care homes.

But head of planning Carl Mellor agreed to let the scheme go ahead following a consultation with neighbours.

Planning officer Samuel Everton said there had been no objections to the proposals.

He said that while the property had no off-street parking, he did not envisage there to be any more problems than there would be if the property was retained as a residential house.

A spokesman for Serenity said the house was ideally suited in a residential area, close to Dudley town centre.

"This means the young people can easily access these areas for retail therapy, dine-in restaurants or to socialise with friends," the application said. "The local area has a competitive economy, good schools and colleges within walking distance and a good-quality living environment, which make it the place of choice for many to live." The company said the house was also in close proximity to nearby parks and gymnasiums, as well as Dudley Zoo.

"Furthermore, this property benefits from being in a good area where the children can feel at home by living in a single household environment and area amongst other families," it said.

"The young people will be encouraged to be involved in the local community this will be supported by the excellent local schools, colleges, shopping centres, work opportunities, community centres and leisure centres."

The application said the youngsters would not have any physical disabilities, but may have mild learning disabilities or challenging behaviours.

"As the children sometimes display challenging behaviour, there are various de-escalation methods that we use to offset this and ensure it is minimised," said the spokesman.

"Therefore, We endeavour to ensure there is no disruption to the neighbours," the spokesman said.

It said that, as with any home, there may be visitors to the property, including family members.

"We will ensure that we build positive relationships with the local neighbours," the application said.

"We will plan and invite our neighbours to cake sale, charity fun days and generally acknowledge the needs of the local community by recognising the different festivals celebrated and joined neighbours in celebrations."

There would typically be two members of staff on duty at any one time, it added.