A SCHEME to turn a former hotel on the edge of York into a care home has been thrown into doubt.

Developers wanted to create a specialist unit for the elderly by converting the site of the Gateway To York Hotel in Hull Road, Kexby, and applied for permission for a larger-scale project than they originally designed only weeks ago.

But now the application for a 20-bed extension to the building has been withdrawn, leading to uncertainty about whether the redevelopment will go ahead.

A successful bid to allow the hotel to be replaced with a 32-bed care home was made by the site’s owners last year, which was followed by a second application in August to add a two-storey extension to the building’s east wing together with extra parking spaces.

City of York Council was expected to decide on whether the extension would be suitable in November, but now York-based DWA Architects, who are acting as agents for the developers, have taken it back to the drawing board.

In documents submitted to planners, they said the enlarged care home would be “less harmful” to the surrounding Green Belt than a set of proposals drawn up in 2004 by the hotel’s then owners, which earmarked 30 extra bedrooms, wedding and conference facilities and parking space for 21 more vehicles, although this never came to fruition.

And they also said changing the use of the site would mean less traffic and noise in the area, adding: “The design of the extension of the care home would be traditional.

“Crucially, this traditional design echoes the appearance of the existing building and helps in the creation of an ambience which is found to be acceptable by elderly residents.” Only one objection was raised to the proposed extension, with a couple living in nearby Main Street saying: “There would be more traffic using the site, including doctors, nurses, care assistants and ambulances.

“The parking facilities would not seem to be adequate for an establishment which is proposed to have more than 50 rooms.”

However, Kexby Parish Council chose not to object to the planned addition, while the council’s own environment and conservation department was also content with the proposals as long as they protected the local bat community.

DWA Architects were unavailable for comment.