Former Worthing care home could be turned into new housing

Plans to turn Kingswood Home, 140 Heene Road, into seven apartments, a two-bed bungalow and a three-bed house have been submitted to Worthing Borough Council.

The plans will be discussed at a planning meeting on Wednesday (November 24).

Kingswood is now empty after the care home’s residents were rehomed due to ‘serious concerns’ over their health and wellbeing and after three were taken to hospital.

A previous application to convert the building (AWDM/0601/21) was approved in July but the updated plans seek to add a detached, two-bed bungalow within the site’s communal garden.

If approved, the existing villa would house seven flats and the coach house building would be enlarged to create a three-bed home.

The newly proposed bungalow would sit to the south, between the villa and a neighbouring property.

Seven parking spaces would be included in the scheme.

But council officers recommended that the new plans are refused.

The villa is a ‘local interest building’ built in 1906 and sits within the Heene conservation area.

Officers say that the addition of an extra bungalow ‘would draw undue attention’ due to its height and footprint, even if it contributes to housing in the area.

In addition, they say that conversion of the ‘coach house’ would leave ‘little of the original building’ and future occupiers could suffer from less outside space.

A neighbour, who lives next to the proposed bungalow, has also written to the council.

They said: “The new bungalow, although sympathetically designed and an improvement on the last plan, is still very close to our property and has the potential to impact on us with regards to noise, some loss of light and privacy.”

A council engineer also has a holding objection over drainage issues and the private sector housing team previously expressed concern over a fire escape route and the small size of some flats.

More information can be found at the Worthing planning portal using reference: AWDM/1875/21.