Small care home proposed for Trecastle Road

A company from Falkirk in Scotland plans to convert a house in Trecastle Road into a small care home.

Safe As Houses Property Investment PLC has submitted a planning application to convert 8 Trecastle Road into a care home for five residents. The plan would see the two largest bedrooms of the six bedroom house each split into smaller bedroom and a living room, with the ground floor living room becoming a communal lounge. No external alterations to the property are proposed. One of the bedrooms would be used by staff and the home would be staffed continuously.

According to documents included in the planning application, up to three staff will be present at any time. The application also claims that “There are no parking constraints outside the property”. With the applicant in Scotland and their agent in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, it seems that both are unfamiliar with the East Wichel restricted parking zone.

Safe As Houses are unlikely to operate the home themselves — their business model is to buy houses to order, convert them and then lease the homes out, mainly to public sector organisations and housing associations.

The planning application, S/21/0626, can be viewed on Swindon Borough Council’s planning portal, and is open for comments until 18^th June.

Update 6 September 2021: this planning application was withdrawn by the applicants at the beginning of August.