A CARE company planning a new home on the site of an old City of York Council-owned facility has tweaked the plans after feedback from neighbours.

Octopus Healthcare submitted plans for a 64-bed care home to replace Fordlands care home, in Fulford, in August.

Now the planned building has been amended to make sure it fits into the area, and the developers say it will be a “real asset for York”. The height and roofline has been lowered by up to 1.2 metres, in response to comments by council officers.

Lyth Watson, director of development for Octopus Healthcare, said: “We believe that these plans will help to meet some of the shortfall in places identified by the council.

“Our proposals replace a long-term vacant care home, that was no longer fit for purpose, with a modern care facility to help meet the complex care needs of older people in the city.

“Through the planning process we have listened to feedback and amended the plans to ensure it fits in with the local environment and to ensure it will be a real asset for York, on this key brownfield site.”

Planning documents show that while Fulford Parish Council welcomed a replacement care home and more jobs in the area, members were unhappy about the planned building.

They wrote to planners saying the building’s “scale, height and massing of the new building fails to respect the scale and character of the small cottage dwellings within the immediate vicinity, causing harm to the setting of the conservation area”.

The £10 million development should bring 64 full and part-time jobs to York, Octopus have said. If it goes ahead, the home will offer independent and private rooms, with ensuite bathrooms. There will also be shared facilities for residents, like dining rooms, lounges, activity rooms, gardens, hairdressers and a residents and visitors café.

A decision on the planning application is expected in November and if it goes ahead the new home should be open by mid-2019.