Mum highlights importance of care accommodation in Peterborough amid parking concerns

Plans to convert a house into a children’s care home in Hampton Hargate were recently withdrawn following objections around “inadequate” parking provision that would “exacerbate” the existing issues in the area.

In February, similar plans for a children’s care home in Hampton Vale were refused by Peterborough City Council for a second time due to poor parking provision, following objections from 30 neighbours.

Additionally, plans for a supported living accommodation on Park Road were also recently refused, with objections around parking.

Parking appears to be a recurring issue when such applications are submitted in the Hamptons and across Peterborough.

Hampton Vale ward councillor Roger Antunes, a former member of the city council’s planning committee, noted the concern around this in his area.

He said: “There have been a number of applications in Hampton and, as a member of the parish council, we are generally concerned about the parking arrangements for carers and visitors which is independently assessed and concluded by the council’s highways team.”

Despite this, Hampton Vale resident Emma Long, who has a son in a supported living bungalow in the city, says she can’t see the issue around parking and claimed that many carers actually use public transport.

She believes that people need to “look at the bigger picture” before raising complaints about potential parking issues when planning applications go in.

“I know what it’s like with the coming and going at these houses. We’ve got so many HMOs in the Hamptons and nobody seems to bat an eyelid,” she said.

“Is it not better that these children experience a community with people around them and normality? Large homes aren’t suitable for everybody.

“Everybody else’s cars are on the road, so what’s the difference? People are forgetting how important the normality of being somewhere like this is, and the effect it will have on the children.

“We’ve got so many HMOs around here, and these are controlled environments for young people. I just don’t see why people have used parking and traffic as an issue.”

Not all supported living and children’s care home applications are refused on parking grounds. In June, the city council approved two applications for young adult care homes in Bretton and Stanground despite a lack of car parking spaces at both sites.

The city council assesses applications against local and national policies and guidance, as well as taking into account the comments submitted by the public.

Members of the public can comment on planning applications while they are still under consultation.

Planning officers visit sites to assess the impact of proposed developments and considerations are made over a number of issues, including potential parking and traffic problems.