Gloucestershire Echo

Bid to transform former care home into modern housing

A FORMER care home could be transforme­d into modern housing.

Imperial Place Limited has submitted a planning applicatio­n for the property at 303 Gloucester Road in Cheltenham.

The proposal outlines a change of use, subdivisio­n, and alteration of the existing property to create a threebedro­om dwelling and a 10-bedroom house of multiple occupation (HMO), along with associated alteration­s.

Imperial Place Limited, establishe­d in 2011, is already an HMO landlord and property developer.

The company owns and operates nine HMOS ranging from five to nine bedrooms throughout Cheltenham. According to the applicatio­n, “There is a well-establishe­d need for the proposed developmen­t. House price affordabil­ity is a significan­t issue in Cheltenham, and shared

accommodat­ion provides profession­als in the area with an affordable option to enable them to live and work in the town.”

The document cites an occupancy rate of 99.8% in 2023 for the applicant’s existing properties, with an average stay of 17 months, indicating a strong demand for this type of HMO property.

The property in question was previously utilised as a 10-bedroom care home and was on the market for six months, during which it attracted over 40 parties, including builders and developers.

Despite this interest, the feedback indicated that the level of renovation required to modernise the building was not financiall­y viable for continued use as a care home.

After two price reductions, the offer from Imperial Place Limited was accepted in December.

The planning applicatio­n emphasises that the extensive work needed to upgrade the property makes it unlikely to be used as a care home again.

The proposed change to residentia­l and HMO use is seen as a way to refurbish the property to a high standard, address housing needs, and prevent the site from falling into disrepair.

The applicatio­n concludes with a statement on the broader impact of the developmen­t: “The proposed developmen­t will also contribute to a wider housing mix within Cheltenham, providing affordable single-person accommodat­ion in the HMO and an additional three-bed dwelling in the separated unit.

“The proposed developmen­t will bring the property back into residentia­l use in a sympatheti­c manner, making the best use of the land.”