A full application for a children’s care home in a Pembrokeshire village, which previously raised concerns about potential antisocial behaviour, has been approved.
Hiraeth Care Ltd, through planning agent Evans Banks Planning Limited, applied to Pembrokeshire County Council to turn Brynawel in Maenclochog from a house into a small children’s residential care home.
A previous application by the same agent, naming Future Nest Care Ltd as the applicant, was refused in May.
The application sought a lawfulness certificate, which would have allowed the change of use without a full planning application, but it was refused because the change was considered significant enough to require one.
Maenclochog Community Council objected after residents raised concerns about “multiple provisions for similar accommodation on the outskirts of Maenclochog”.
The council said: “In the past, young people accommodated at these facilities have frequently absconded, leading to repeated searches across the surrounding area. This history heightens local anxiety regarding the introduction of further such provision within the village.”
A supporting statement accompanying the-now formal scheme said it would provide accommodation and support for two youngsters with specific needs, supported by a rotating team of up to three staff.
The statement stressed: “The residents will comprise young people with learning disabilities and/or neurological differences, whose needs are fundamentally different from those associated with emotional and behavioural disorders.”
“Learning disabilities and neurological differences are lifelong developmental conditions and should not be conflated with, or characterised as, behavioural problems.
“Behaviours arising from such conditions may sometimes be misunderstood or misinterpreted, leading to inaccurate assumptions regarding the young people’s needs and the reasons underlying certain behaviours.”
A report recommending approval said Pembrokeshire needed facilities that would allow children to be cared for closer to home.
The report said five letters objected to the latest scheme, citing the site’s unsuitability, a lack of local need and consultation, and the possible cumulative impact of other facilities in the area.
The officer report said the scheme would not harm the area’s character or neighbours’ amenities, adding that there was no evidence its operation would cause unacceptable impacts.
The application was conditionally approved by planning officers under delegated powers.
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