Plans to build care homes at old piggery ‘much’ needed says chairman
James Croucher, DLP Planning Director - Credit: Archant
Plans to build a 70 bedroom care home at a dilapidated piggery would provide a ‘much needed’ service for elderly residents, the chairman of Fairfield Parish Council has said.
A planning application has been put forward to build 116 homes and a 70 bedroom care home at the former pig unit in the Fairfield Park area of Stotfold.
Councillor Barrie Dack, chairman of the parish council, said: “We’ve had several meetings with the developers and we’re very pleased with the proposals put forward, which blend very well into the design concept.
“It will provide jobs for people and a much needed care home for the area.
“Elderly people have to travel a long way at the moment. When you’re getting old and you’ve got a partner that can’t drive, it’s important to be able to access these facilities in your area.”
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Chris Timus, chairman of Fairfield Park Residents’ Association, echoed Mr Dack’s enthusiasm for the proposed housing development in Hitchin Road.
He said: “It’s a good idea to develop the site. I can understand the need for a care home in the area.”
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The five-hectare pig unit was sold with planning permission for mixed use development including a limited amount of housing last November.
James Croucher, senior director at DLP Planning, the developers behind the project, said: “We’ve worked very hard with the parish council for a number of months now and we’re really pleased with the support we have received. Our scheme has evolved and changed in order to reflect the comments made in those consultations.”
The original pig testing station at Stotfold came into operation in 1957. It was the second of five built in that period as part of an intensive effort by the British pig industry to improve productivity and carcass quality.
The current building has been the target of vandals in recent years. Last June, arsonists attacked the building four times in the space of two weeks.
