Concern over care home plan

A BID to convert a Seaford care home into accommodation for single parent families has been given the thumbs down by town councillors.

The Horizon Housing Group wants to convert Abbots Leigh, at 75 Sutton Road, into a shared house for six adults and up to 11 children.

At a town council planning meeting on Thursday last week councillors voted six to four to recommend rejection.

Council leader Laurie Holland told the Express members were concerned about potential noise nuisance to neighbours and the lack of an adequate play area.

He said: 'Because of the number of children in the building there were concerns about the danger aspects of young children playing near a main road.

The plans will now go before Lewes District Council for its consideration.

l DISTRICT planners have backed a bid to convert a Seaford guest house into six one-bedroom flats.

A previous application to convert the Trenarren guest house in Claremont Road into flats for single parent families proved controversial with neighbours and was refused by councillors.

Concerns were raised that the children s play area was not big enough and that residents of the nursing home next door and four others nearby would suffer extra noise and disturbance.

Neighbours were also concerned about the lack of off-street parking adding to parking problems in Claremont Road. Only three spaces were planned for the flats.

However, a new bid for the same number of flats with no mention of single parent families was welcomed by Seaford Town Council last month.

A Lewes District Council planners report said the main concern in the previous application had been the size and location of the play area.

It added: 'The current proposal is for a conversion to self contained flats and it is not considered that any problems of undue noise or disturbance would arise from the reasonable use of the flats.

The application was due to be discussed by planners this week.