Neighbours fear new care home could overlook them

Neighbours of a disused Cornwall care home fear their lives will be ruined if a larger replacement home is built in its place.

A proposal for a new 57-bed home has already been opposed by Truro City Council, which stated it was an "unneighbourly scheme".

Housing and care provider the Sanctuary Group has applied to Cornwall Council, which will approve or reject the plan, to redevelop the site of 36-bed Mountford House at Kenwyn, which closed in 2022, to provide an "innovative and modern care home".

The development would be "a positive addition to the supply of specialist accommodation for the elderly", according to a planning statement for the proposal.

The new facility would replace the existing 1960s building, which closed as it was no longer fit for purpose, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Sanctuary acquired Cornwall Care in 2022 and entered into a strategic partnership with Cornwall Council to develop the Cornwall Care portfolio.

Truro City council objected to the plan in November, claiming it is unneighbourly due to its height and the adverse effect it may have on nearby residents who, it says, may lose sunlight and privacy.

The new facility would be two-and-a-half storeys high – two storeys plus a storey with lowered eaves and dormer windows. Neighbours argue it would feel more like three storeys.

One resident commented on the council's planning portal that the new building would directly overlook her home.

"This building will have a significant negative impact on my home and garden where I have lived for 48 years," she said.

"The increase from single storey to three will have an unacceptable dominating and overbearing effect on myself and the neighbourhood."

Another commented it was a "much-needed" facility but added: "The scale of the proposed new build, which is much larger than the current footprint of Mountford House, will have a significant impact on all the residential homes on all sides.

"This is a major concern as more than half of the rooms in our home will be directly visible with no privacy."

Sanctuary's planning application said: "This is a unique opportunity to redevelop the site to provide a modern and efficient care home, a leading care facility, serving Truro and the community beyond."

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