A PROPOSAL to turn a disused factory into a residential care home has won backing from local residents, despite planning officials recommending the refusal of the application.

The owners of Adelphi House, in Hunton, near Bedale, want to turn the former fireplace factory, which has stood empty for almost four years, into a 64-bed care home, with facilities for people with dementia.

The site stands in an isolated position just outside the village, but local people say the building is an eyesore that should be turned into something useful.

The application will be put to the planning committee at Richmondshire District Council on Wednesday, after being postponed last week due to the weather conditions.

Planning officials at the council have recommended that the application be refused on the grounds that the rural location of the site is an ‘inappropriate and unsustainable location for a care home’ and that the buildings will need to be remodelled to such an extent that it would constitute a redevelopment rather than a reuse of brownfield land.

Steve Keohane, who owns the property, said he and his wife had spent a long time exploring all the options for what to do with the property.

He said: "At the start of this process we spoke informally to the planning officials at the council and they said all they could think of as a use was light industrial, but in this day and age, and in that location, it would never have been passed.

"We feel that a care home is a solution that will suit everyone and will save what has become a rather dilapidated building and also create about 60 jobs.

"A parish councillor I spoke to told me they’ve never seen such support for an application, and there is only one person who has officially objected to the council.

"There will always be a sticking point in every application , we just hope the council can see past the couple of things that are technically wrong and see the benefits it will bring to the community."

A spokesperson for Richmondshire District Council’s planning department declined to comment on the application.