Plans for a new specialist children’s home on Wearside have been given the green light by city development chiefs, despite opposition from neighbours.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for 5 Saint Bedes Park, which sits near Mowbray Park in the city’s Ashbrooke Conservation Area.

Applicant and care provider ROC Group submitted an application earlier this year seeking permission to convert the residential property into a children’s home use.

A planning application submitted to council officials said the children’s home would be aimed at children aged eight to 17 with “autism, learning disabilities and sensory impairment”.

The planning application added the children’s home-supported accommodation would be staffed on a “rota basis” and that there would be “no change to the layout of the property and no additional parking required”.

A heritage statement submitted to council officials added proposed works to the property were “minimal and would preserve the special qualities of the Ashbrooke Conservation Area”.

During council consultation on the plans, however, the proposal sparked 15 objections from neighbours raising concerns over issues ranging from noise, anti-social behaviour and safeguarding, to parking, access and highway safety.

Other concerns included the location being “unsuitable”, impacts to the local conservation area, the level of outdoor space for the children’s home and the proposals “affecting the wellbeing of the existing community”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on August 5, 2024.

Council planners, in a decision report, confirmed the property would provide housing for up to four children at any one time and that once a child turns 18 they would be moved to an “alternative supported living facility”.

It was also noted that ROC Group has an “in-house maintenance team”, that the accommodation provides a “communal kitchen, living area and dining room” and that “members of staff will have use of a separate bathroom and shower facilities”.

Council planners said the principle of development was acceptable and that the “character of this residential area would not be compromised as a result of this proposal for an alternative form of residential accommodation”.

While it was acknowledged that the plans would result in the “loss of a family dwelling”, council planners said it would “still operate as a form of residential accommodation, albeit whereby the residents need support”.

It was argued that the proposals were in a “sustainable location” and that the development “would have no unacceptable impacts on the highway network in terms of capacity or safety”, with sufficient parking provision also available at the site, including on-street parking.

In addition, council planners said the facility would be managed 24/7 and that there was “no evidence to suggest that a proposed development of this nature would have any unacceptable impacts in relation to antisocial behaviour”.

It was noted that Northumbria Police had raised no objections and that “antisocial behaviour is not an inevitable consequence of multi-occupation as opposed to single occupation of dwellings, but rather a question of individual behaviour and appropriate management”.

The council decision report added: “No external alterations are proposed and so the proposed development would have no unacceptable impacts on visual amenity (including the character and appearance of Ashbrooke Conservation Area).

“Furthermore, the council’s transportation department (the local highway authority) has raised no objections to the proposed development in relation to parking provision and highway safety.

“To control the nature of the proposed development and to prevent the intensification of use at the premises, conditions are recommended to control the maximum number of residents and staff that can be at the premises at any given time.

“It is considered that the proposed change of use of the dwelling to residential accommodation with support would have no unacceptable impacts.

“The proposed development would cater to a specific housing need in which there is demand for within the local authority area”.

According to the applicant’s website, ROC Group provides “care solutions for children, young people and families in the North East of England”.

The provider offers a range of services including supported accommodation, children’s homes, family support, and outreach and respite services for those with additional needs.

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Under planning conditions, the Saint Bedes Park development must be brought forward within three years.

For more information on the plan or council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/02476/FUL