A ‘WILDLIFE haven’ in Clayton-le-Moors will be lost after plans to build a nursing home extension were given the go ahead.

Hope House Nursing Home in Rishton Road has been granted planning permission to more than double the number its bedrooms.

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The building, purpose-built in the late 80s following the demolition of print work buildings previously on the site, will see a two-storey extension built.

It will have room for 40 bedrooms, taking the total number there to 78, plans show.

In a letter of objection to the council, Mr and Mrs Brierley, from Breck Row Gardens, said: “At this moment, trees run along our border which screen us from the existing complex.

“We observe from the plans that some of those trees are being removed to make way for this massive extension.

“The planned site has been empty for many, many years on the edge of this rural location.

“It has converted into a wildlife haven and many different birds have nested there over the years.

“At present there are many bats, hedgehogs pass through, foxes, frogs, newts; it’s been a home for them all. There will be very little left for them if this plan is approved.”

However, an assessment of the area found no evidence of badgers or bats, council documents show.

The county council’s ecologist said native hedgerows should be planted during development, and hedgehog houses and habitat piles and logs provided along the site’s boundary.

Plans were amended to include oak trees and a hedge around the majority of the site’s perimeter, documents said, and the council’s conservation officer was ‘content’ with the proposed development.

Previous planning permission to develop the land as additional floor space for the care home was granted in 2004 but lapsed in April 2009 without being implemented.

In a design and access statement, consultants Ward Associates said: “A communal garden is to be created within the courtyard between the existing care home and proposed extension. The proposal will include the rearrangement of the existing car park area to provide 21 spaces, including two disabled bays.

“In our view, the proposed extension could be satisfactorily accommodated within the site without creating a cramped, over-developed appearance.

“The scale, positioning and appearance of the proposed extension have been carefully considered to minimise any potential adverse impact on the amenity of the neighbouring properties, character and appearance of the neighbouring conservation area.”