Plans to demolish a house in Stevenage and build a 76-bed care home in its place have been met with a raft of objections, including concerns over parking, traffic and inappropriate development.

More than 30 people have formally objected to a planning application submitted to Stevenage Borough Council by developer Muller Property Group to demolish a three-storey house in North Road and build a four-storey care home, with associated parking, on the 0.37 hectare site.

Rafiq Kaskar, of Daltry Road, said: "North Road gets a lot of traffic as it is and the proposed care home will only serve to generate further traffic and impact road safety."

Colin Matraves, also of Daltry Road, said the plot "would become completely oversized, over developed and out of place for the position and history of the west face of North Road".

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Melanie Williams added: "I feel building a property that will increase the traffic and affect parking in an area already overrun with traffic, and with very limited parking, will be be detrimental to the area and have a negative impact on residents and the hospital, that already struggles to manage parking and traffic."

However, Muller says "the proposed design of the care home is reflective of its location and ensures adequate car and cycle parking provision is accommodated".

In a supporting statement, Muller also says: "The proposals seek to redevelop an underutilised plot of predominantly previously developed land, bringing the site back into a more optimal use whilst delivering biodiversity net gains and preserving the local character."

It says benefits of the proposed development include "relieving an identified shortfall in the local stock of bedspaces, whilst also improving the overall quality of this stock through the provision of modern, purposed built and ensuite facilities".

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The developer says its design aims to ensure "there is no harmful impact to the neighbouring residential properties" by ensuring sufficient separation distance, and by situating the development so that it sits gable end to gable end with the neighbouring property to the east of the site, to "reduce the risk" of overlooking on the neighbours.

To view the planning application and have your say, visit publicaccess.stevenage.gov.uk/online-applications and search for reference 23/00107/OPM.