Plans have been lodged with Thanet council to convert former care home buildings in Westgate into 39 flats with six terraced houses at the rear of the site.
The bid is by Grifo Developments which was previously highly commended in the Margate Civic Society Town Pride Awards for the conversion of Westcliff House in Westgate.
The Maidstone-based firm wants to create the flats at 39-43 Sea Road. The buildings include the former Norfolk House and Ashbury Court care homes which were shut by operator Orchard Care Homes for ‘financial reasons’ in 2017.
Number 43 Sea Road was later used as a nursery and then supported accommodation for young mothers but this venture was looking to relocate.
Grifo is now seeking permission for the conversion and extension of 39-43 Sea Road to provide 39 apartments following demolition of part of the buildings, construction of six houses to the rear of number 37, accessed off St Clement’s Road, and 22 parking spaces, access and landscaping.
Permission was previously granted in 2018 for change of use from care home to residential on 39 – 41 Sea Road and mixed use residential and crèche on 43 Sea Road.
The new application has a number of alterations to the previous scheme including to the front elevations.
The proposals for no. 39 – 43 Sea Road include a mixture of 1 bedroom apartments, and2 bed apartments. The 6 terrace houses to the rear are to be in two terraced buildings, each with 3 houses.
The site falls within the Westgate-on-Sea Conservation Area Boundary and is adjacent to Designated Heritage Asset Ellingham House,
The properties date between 1880– 1890 as private Edwardian villas, overlooking the bay. Between 1890 – 1920 they were converted to other uses. All three villas are non-designated -heritage assets, their surviving architecture of the Queen Anne fusion style is highly significant to the character of the setting of the Conservation Area and developers plan to retain this.
Planning documents say: “Overall great care has been taken to ensure the proposed design, scale and mass of the scheme is sensitive and sympathetic to the area.”
A decision on the application is yet to be made. Documents can be viewed on Thanet council’s planning portal, reference F/TH/22/1447
