PLANS to build 11 homes on a former school site have been submitted to North Herts District Council (NHDC).

The Comet: Site of Lannock Primary School. This used to be a school site and a planning application has gone in to build a care home on the site as well as an outline planning application for 11 new homesSite of Lannock Primary School. This used to be a school site and a planning application has gone in to build a care home on the site as well as an outline planning application for 11 new homes (Image: Archant)

The outline application, by Hertfordshire County Council, was submitted for the former Lannock Primary School site in Whiteway, Letchworth GC, which closed in August 2009.

Outline planning permission is used to give land more value and guide future development. It is possible that eventual proposals are different and therefore such applications are to be treated with some caution.

Whiteway resident Mick Bee said: “In this particular case I would support a good use like housing but wonder if it shouldn’t be on a different basis.

“If it was to be used for old fashioned council houses or sheltered accommodation for independent senior citizens, remained ours and used for our good, or used to design a more spread out and better care home, then I would support it. But it isn’t.”

A planning application was also submitted to NHDC last year for a three storey, 90-bedroom residential care home also to be built on the site, which is still going through the decision process.

A consultation and exhibition was held in October for the public to have their say on the care home, but neighbours on Whiteway were not aware of it, as the architects failed to inform them.

Last month, residents submitted a petition to NHDC against the proposed size of the care home.

At the time, Mr Bee said: “I think it’s tragic that a worthy project has come out causing such a lot of upset simply because we weren’t consulted for our views about the plans until it was far too late to alter them. Now, we can do little but strongly object to them.”

Another Whiteway resident, Arto Viravorian, whose view from his living room window would be blocked if plans were approved, said: “The height from the top of the building compared to the height of my view is far too high, all of a sudden there will be a brick wall going up.”