Redesigned application for 70-bed care home in Westgate submitted to council

The new care home Image r d t a r c h i t e c t s

A planning application to create a 70-bed care home on land by Hundreds Farm House in Westgate has been submitted to Thanet council.

Lawrence Baker Limited and Avante Care want to build the facility just off Canterbury Road.

The site has previous approval for a care home but Avante have redesigned the facility after buying the site and reviewing the plans.

In documents lodged by RDT Architects  on behalf of the care provider it says alterations include the number of bedrooms being reduced from the 75 originally proposed so more day spaces could be included.

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The bedroom numbers and locations per floor did not reflect the Avante Care staffing ratios and the former plans didn’t support support Avante Cares desire to include modern energy strategies, including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.

Avante Care & Support is a registered charity supporting some 1,000 older people through their registered nursing and dementia care homes and home care services. It is a not for profit organisation, with specialist dementia care homes providing support services for people living with dementia.

Home Care and Support services already delivers care at home in Faversham, Sheerness, Sittingbourne and the London Borough of Bexley.

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Avante says: “We provide care and support for adults with a wide range of needs from those who need a little help with life’s daily routines, to people with complex health needs such as dementia, physical frailty and palliative care.

“We (also) offer nursing care at Puddingstone Grange in Greenwich and Chaucer House in Canterbury. This is provided by teams of qualified Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants. “Our Mental Health Care homes provide support for those living with functional mental health conditions such as bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression.”

The provider also runs respite and short stay care facilities.

The Westgate care home is to include garden spaces, flexible lounge/activity spaces ad communal spaces such as café, cinema and break out areas.

Twenty-four car parking spaces will be provided including two designated disabled access. Access for staff to the site will be encouraged through alternative sustainable methods to include walking, cycling, use of public transport or to share lifts with other staff members.  The proposed development will include 4 active Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCP) on site.

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The documents say the development plans for the retention of existing landscape features and new planting. Planning statements add that “the presence and associated re-location of reptiles needs careful consideration and management. The applicant’s ecologists, David Archer Associates, are in liaison with the County Council advisors on the matter.”

Thanet council previously approved plans for a 64-bed care home on the site in May 2017. A new application for a 75-bed home on the site was then lodged and granted outline permission in n April 2020. The developer for that proposal was not a care provider. The Avante application comes after the care provider bought the site and had the plans redesigned.

Thanet council is yet to make a decision on the application.

3 Comments

  1. The artist images look great, if only tdc could fast track planning permissions for these specialist care homes.
    Would help bed blocking in hospitals and offer an incentive to care/nursing developers to develop in thanet.

  2. What about All the wildlife we back into this we have slow worms, Dragonflies, Damselflies, frogs not seen newtes (but are quite hard to see) quirrels, loads of types of bees and many types of Birds, Jayes, Rens, Rodins, we have already lots 60 70 %of trees from when we moved here 30 years ago.
    Not to mention the light pollution it’ bed enough having Plant Thanet lighting up the night sky.Not been able to stargaze properly for many years.

  3. These places ate desperately needed and council needs to get on with decision. All the wildlife stuff will still be there or find somewhere else

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