Office block to make way for new 70-bed care home

Plans to replace an empty office block in Surrey with a 70-bed care home have been given the green light.

Consort House in Weybridge has been earmarked to provide a specialist nursing care home with a floor dedicated to dementia patients.

The proposal to knock down the empty office building on Princes Road was approved by Elmbridge Borough Council on 4 February, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Developer Harman has paid more than £45,000 to the NHS for the new facility, which is expected to open by early 2027.

According to data from Surrey County Council included in the planning application, the demand for specialised care beds in Elmbridge could hit almost 100 beds in the next five years, and then jump to 155 by 2035.

The application states that this new facility is "strategically timed to reach operational maturity just as the demand peaks".

The financial contribution for the NHS was agreed by councillors and the developer to support local health infrastructure.

Surrey Heartlands NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) highlighted that this facility could place higher stresses on GP surgeries which the financial contribution would help mitigate.

Parking was flagged as an issue during the application process.

With only 28 car spaces proposed for the development - and between 25-30 staff on duty at any one time - some residents expressed concerns about overspill.

Independent parking surveys outline that there are 64 parking spaces within 500m of the site.

Liberal Democrat councillor Judy Sarsby questioned what made this new facility different from two nearby care homes which have shut down in recent years.

Mr Bond, the applicant's agent, said the proposed development would be "modern [and] bespoke" in a way that will "meet today's needs in a 21st century context".

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