A SUFFOLK woman who wants to open a care home for the elderly today vowed to fight on after being refused permission for the much-needed project.Sue Bolton has been spurred on in her venture by her mum, 88-year-old Joan Stephens' failing health and spiral into dementia.

By Richard Cornwell

A SUFFOLK woman who wants to open a care home for the elderly today vowed to fight on after being refused permission for the much-needed project.

Sue Bolton has been spurred on in her venture by her mum, 88-year-old Joan Stephens' failing health and spiral into dementia.

“I am gutted by the refusal but I will not give up and am still determined to get a care home up and running in Felixstowe,” she said.

“I am appealing against the refusal and also putting together a new scheme for a slightly smaller development.

“It is ridiculous that the council's professional officers recommended approval and the councillors turned it down and then took four weeks before they could give me the reasons.

“I have already amended the plans three times - even making changes the chairman wanted and it was still refused.”

Suffolk Coastal councillors visited the site of the proposed residential care home in Mill Lane, Felixstowe, to see what they thought of the proposals and the impact on neighbours and the area before making their decision.

They decided to refuse because it would be “intrusive and harmful” to those living around the site and would threaten existing protected trees.

Mrs Bolton believes the property is ideal for a care home and she and her partner sold everything to fund it. They want to convert and extend the detached house to create a 15-room home by building on part of the third-of-an-acre garden.

Ipswich Hospital Trust supported the project because it would provide much-needed extra care.

But the plan attracted more than 23 objections from residents worried at the impact on the neighbourhood and their homes, describing it as a “total overdevelopment”.

Felixstowe Town Council said: “The parking indicated on the application is likely to be insufficient for the staff and visitors to the property.

“The change of use and intensification of use will lead to a significant increase in the number of traffic movements from the site adjacent to an extremely busy junction controlled by traffic lights.”

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