Bungalows and care home not right for Acton
Residents have reacted “negatively” to a proposal by a charitable trust to build 32 bungalows and a care home in Acton.
Planning consultants representing the Innominate Trust showed plans to residents at a recent meeting of Acton Parish Council.
The plans include an estate of bungalows and a 40-bed care home on land off Barrow Hill, on land which the charitable trust owns.
Vice-chairman of the parish council Peter Edwards said: “The planning consultant David Morse asked us if he could present the proposal at the beginning of our parish council meeting.
“It is just a proposal at this stage. No planning permission has been applied for, so the parish council cannot formally comment on it.
“The reaction from the public who came along was negative. People were not happy about the fact that, if it went ahead, the village would end up having a high concentration of retirement homes.
“They felt the village should be a mix of all ages, not just older people,” he added.
Mr Edwards said there was also a negative reaction from villagers who attended the meeting when it was revealed the proposal included a land swap for part of the village’s allotments.
“We were told the proposal included putting in an access road via the top half of the village’s allotments which would split them off from the village wildlife area. This area is about 100 yards wide by 30 yards wide and it would be isolated from the allotments by this proposal. The allotments and wildlife area is on land owned by the parish council.
“This is first time we heard about it; we had no idea they were proposing this. It means splitting the wildlife area off from the allotments and people were not keen on the idea,” he added.
Mr Edwards said the council would now wait to see whether an outline plannning application was made by the Innominate Trust, which is run by the Quakers, before making any comments on the proposal.
He said the trust had owned the Acton land for some time, and he believed it extended to around six acres.
