Plans for a short breaks and day care home on Wearside supporting disabled children and their families are back on track after being resubmitted to city development chiefs.

Together for Children (TfC), which delivers children’s services on behalf of Sunderland City Council, has been involved in a planning application for a new care centre at Red Gables, a five-bedroom detached property in East Rainton.

Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families are expected to benefit from the facility, with the total cost of purchase and conversion estimated at £1.7 million.

As a centre for daytime outreach, group activities and short breaks, TfC said the building had large grounds with space for play and development, and could offer therapy and overnight care, as well as hosting events.

The planning application was going through the council’s formal planning processes and a decision was expected. However, progress stalled after the city council withdrew the plans on July 16, 2024.

Sunderland City Council and Together for Children said there was a “legal technicality to resolve” before the planning application could be resubmitted for the care facility.

In a joint statement last month, the council and TfC said “everybody remains absolutely committed to ensuring that we get the best for all children in our city”.

Plans for the care facility followed the controversial loss of respite care services at Grace House, which ended in November, 2023, against a backdrop of campaigning by the families affected.

The Red Gables building was later purchased for TfC by Sunderland City Council, and a planning application for the new development was submitted days before Christmas in 2023.

Plans were previously welcomed by parents of disabled children and campaigners, but criticism remained over the time taken to acquire the building and the “stress and turmoil” caused during the interim period.

During a council consultation exercise on the initial planning application for Red Gables, the council received around 280 comments, including 198 comments in support and 81 objections.

Following public objections raising concerns about the facility, including traffic impacts, minor amendments were made to the plans and additional information was provided on the council’s website.

A number of management plans for the proposed care facility were submitted and changes were made to provide an “increased area of hardstanding for parking” to “enable safe parking and manoeuvring” of vehicles.

New plans, which appeared on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website last week, mean the scheme is back on track, subject to a formal consultation exercise and planning permission being approved.

A decision on the application is expected to be made by the council’s Planning and Highways Committee and several Hetton ward councillors have requested to speak at a future meeting at City Hall.

A planning statement submitted to council officials notes the previous planning application was withdrawn “due to legal matters” and sets out details of staffing and access arrangements for the proposed facility.

It was noted that Together for Children would have a staff team of 29 recruited for Red Gables and placed on rota, and that four staff would generally be present on site to care for children and “undertake day-to-day upkeep of the home, including cooking, cleaning, and garden maintenance”.

A “worst-case scenario” was also considered of nine cars being on site at any one time, including both staff and parents, and while applicants said this was “unlikely to occur”, it was noted that “sufficient parking and manoeuvring space has been provided”.

A previous planning statement submitted to council officials said the Red Gables project would “meet an identified need for safe and accessible short-term accommodation for children and young people with specific housing, health and social requirements, as well as providing support to their families”.

The care facility is expected to be fully accessible for wheelchair users and includes internal alterations to suit the needs of users, such as accessible bathrooms, a new kitchen and a sensory room.

The proposal is described in the planning listing as a “short break care facility for up to five persons aged 5-17 years”.

A planning statement submitted to the council this month said several features are proposed to “guarantee the accessibility and safety of the facility”, including a “2m wide wheelchair accessible pathway in the rear garden made from rubber matting and ramps built of brickwork to match the existing that allow for level- access”.

In addition, the existing Juliette balcony is proposed to be removed, and the “doors replaced with windows and brick to match the existing” and several windows would have “obscured glazing to ensure privacy for neighbouring residents”.

The proposals also include a “two metre timber fence around the site and between the dwelling and its external amenity space to ensure the privacy of the children and staff”.

The planning statement adds: “Together for Children and Sunderland City Council are committed to ensuring children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities have access to a range of opportunities to enrich their lives, make friends, develop new skills, and gain independence through short-breaks provisions.

“Alongside the support these provisions provide to the children and young people, they provide their families with a break from their caring responsibilities”.

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A decision on the planning application is expected to be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of September 30, 2024.

For more information on the plan or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/01562/FU4 Caption: Red Gables. Pictures released by Sunderland City Council.