Government inspectors have sided with a developer’s appeal to convert an Arnold nursing home into apartments after the council originally refused the plans.
The Labour-run Gedling Borough Council previously rejected plans to convert Ernehale Lodge Nursing Home in Furlong Street into 19 apartments.
That decision was taken on September 26 last year and was based on limited car parking spaces. This was because the plans proposed 13 spaces, short of the council’s requirement for 16.
Applicant Waseem Shafiq submitted an appeal of the decision in October 2024 following its refusal.
The council has now given approval for planning permission on Friday, April 11, after the planning inspectorate sided with the applicant.
A report carried out by an inspector following a visit in March found the parking shortfall was not significant enough to justify its refusal, especially given the site’s “sustainable” location.
The inspector said the proposed site would provide “sufficient off-street parking” and “would not result in a harmful increase in on-street parking pressure”.
The report also stated that car ownership levels in the area are “relatively low”, given that the majority of proposed units are one-bedroom flats.
Approving the appeal, the inspector’s report said: “On the evidence before me, I am satisfied that the level of off-street parking proposed would be sufficient to accommodate the expected demand arising from the development, having regard to the size of the units and the highly accessible location of the site, and that there would not be a material increase in demand for on-street parking on James Street or Furlong Street.”
The nursing home, which has been vacant since 2021, will see its current 21 bedrooms converted into 19 self-contained apartments.
Plans included one studio flat, along with 12 one-bed and six two-bed flats.
The council has agreed to pay all the costs incurred by the applicant towards the appeal process. Papers do not confirm how much this will be.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) on Monday (April 14), the applicant said he is happy about the appeal being granted.
He said: “This decision confirms what was clear from the outset — that our application for 19 apartments, supported by planning officers as being both locally and nationally policy-compliant, was refused on ‘vague and inaccurate assertions”.
“The Inspector found that the council had behaved unreasonably and failed to consider relevant material considerations, resulting in a waste of time and public funds.
“The financial penalty now imposed on the council could have been avoided entirely — those funds could have been directed towards essential local services.”
A spokesperson for Gedling Borough Council added: “The applicant has the right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against any decisions to refuse planning permission by the Council.
“In this instance, the Planning Inspector did not agree with the Council’s decision and considered that the development would have an acceptable impact in planning terms”
