An empty care home will re-open as supported living flats after plans were backed by councillors. Trinity House Care Centre in Old Hill, Cradley Heath, closed last year after successive ‘inadequate’ ratings from inspectors but will now re-open as supported living flats after receiving the backing of Sandwell Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (January 8).
The plans by Amjad Mahmood would see the former 33-bed care home in Mace Street converted into 14 supported living flats. At the meeting in Oldbury, Cllr Julie Webb, who represents Cradley Heath and Old Hill, said she was concerned about the number of parking spaces. “Trinity Street is double parked on both sides, it’s predominantly Victorian properties,” she said. “Where will staff park?”
Highways officers said they believed “only one or two” residents would be driving based on the clientele and double the number of parking spaces that are required would be provided.
Sandwell Council’s planning officers had recommended the application was approved ahead of the meeting. A report outlining the recommendations said: “The reuse of this former care home as 14 flats for supported living would be acceptable in this predominantly residential area with no demonstrable detriment to the surrounding area, subject to appropriately worded conditions.”
Read more: Sandwell Council told it’s ‘seriously failed’ over social housing as regulator says ‘we expect a plan’
Read more: West Bromwich NHS office block to be converted into more than 120 flats
Read more: Sandwell Council hiking cost of weddings and funerals after predicted income falls £1.3m short
Read more: Fate of West Bromwich church decided after flats plan redrawn five times in 18 months
Read more: Average wait for council house in Sandwell is nearly 10 years
Read more: Sandwell Council spent £2.5m housing homeless after ‘unprecedented’ rise in demand
Five objections were made against the plan with ward councillor John Tipper requesting for the application to be discussed by the council’s planning committee rather than decided by officers. Two previous plans to convert the building into assisted living flats were withdrawn at the end of 2023. These came after a plan to convert the former care home into a 34-bed HMO was also withdrawn a few months earlier.
According to the application, the flats would be run by Rehability UK, the same company in charge of the care home when it closed. Rehability said the closure was a “business decision” and was not because of the inadequate rating.
The care home closed its doors last year after twice receiving the lowest grade from the Care Quality Commission – the body responsible for inspecting care homes.
The watchdog slapped the care home with the worst possible rating after finding that CCTV cameras had been installed in the building without consent from vulnerable residents or their loved ones. The care home was rapped in 2022 for not providing enough activities for residents and for leaving a broken television in the care home’s only remaining communal space. The care home’s garden was also left in a “hazardous” state of disrepair. Safeguarding concerns were also raised with Sandwell Council.
The care home was inspected following allegations of physical and financial abuse from whistleblowers which led to the Mace Street care home being placed in special measures.