LETTERS TO THE PLANNING OFFICER REGARDING QUEENS COURT NURSING HOME
Old Colwyn (East) Residents’ Association
Peter Detheridge
Head of Planning Services
Conwy County Borough Council,
Dear Mr Detheridge, With reference to
Application No.: 0/30977 / Location: Queens Court, 487, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 9AE / Proposal: Deletion or modification of condition 2 of planning permission ref 1-OCW-34-7014 to allow for care and treatment of people with mental health needs and alcohol acquired brain injury at existing residential care facility.
This letter is late. The reason is that our residents association has been waiting for a meeting with the applicant Potens. The meeting due to have taken place before Christmas has not been granted.
I am the secretary of the above named residents’ association. Over the last few months, since September 2005, Queens Court has been an issue which has been debated several times. I attach a copy of our September minutes which has an item in which I reported visiting a seminar at Queens Court, together with councillors and members of the various health boards and social services. I also attach a copy of a paper that I read to the meeting addressed specifically to the representatives of Potens.
The outcome of the meeting was that they undertook to liaise with the public and explain what was being applied for once they had worked out their strategy and what types of mental health care would be excluded from being treated at the premises. They have not done that which they promised to do. They have applied for planning permission without taking the public along with them. The resulting anxiety in certain sections of the public, especially those living nearby is testament to the uncaring side of Potens.
As an association, we have sought to be supportive to this planning process and keep an open mind after representing our members’ views at the meeting as documented. The minute of the September meeting bears out this supportive view.
In applying for planning permission without further promised public consultation, Potens have succeeded in fuelling anxiety and suspicion about their motives for applying to change planning conditions for the home. It is obviously based on a business case and local people want to be reassured that it is not to be used mainly for people from outside the region and also that safety of the local public is a prime consideration.
We wish you to please take note during your appraisal of the whole planning application, that it is our opinion based on our experience that Potens have not sought to carry out their consultation promises to local people, prior to application. Bearing in mind that there have been unauthorised changes at the home over the last few years, it is a serious issue that Potens as the new owners, do not feel that they need to make the general public aware of their best intentions. This has fuelled speculation and emotion.
The following statement is the feeling of a representative section of our members. If planning permission is granted, if the owners are not up-front with the public at the start of the process; there is nothing to stop the applicant implementing unauthorised procedural changes in future which could affect the public and not be detected by any of the user groups.
This letter will be reported to our members at the next meeting on Wednesday evening 11 January.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECOND LETTER TO PLANNING OFFICER
Old Colwyn (East) Residents’ Association
Peter Detheridge
Head of Planning Services
Conwy County Borough Council,
With reference to my previous letter dated 5th January ~ by hand
Application No.: 0/30977 / Location: Queens Court, 487, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 9AE / Proposal: Deletion or modification of condition 2 of planning permission ref 1-OCW-34-7014 to allow for care and treatment of people with mental health needs and alcohol acquired brain injury at existing residential care facility.
Please excuse this letter by email. It is very close to the planning meeting and it is important. I will follow the email up with a letter today.
As previously stated the delay has been caused by the applicant. The company was to have arranged a meeting with residents prior to the application but did not. We were given very short notice of this by local councillors.
Since writing my previous letter, I have spoken to a person who worked at the home until approximately March 2005. At that time, she said there were only three persons at the home being treated for Korsakovs syndrome. Of those three persons, two had violent tendencies and were not allowed out without chaperones. It was the case however that they could get out of the premises if they so intended.
The local councillors have been told that Korsakovs syndrome has been treated for a number of years without incident and have sought to reassure residents of this fact at residents meetings (see attached minute of meeting 9th November, some pertinent issues highlighted in blue). It now appears that the councillors may have been misled about the issues because my information is that the numbers with Korsakovs have increased significantly to 18 persons since Potens took over the premises.
If this is the case, then the matter should be researched more fully before a decision is reached in our opinion. It should also be of relevance what area in the country the present residents are from, as this could provide an indicator to future company practice.
I have also heard that the application includes a list of intended illnesses to be treated at the unit and that schizophrenia is included. If true this is rightly of concern to residents, in the light of many recently reported incidents.