OWNERS of a care home have won approval to expand after reducing the size of the project.

Felixstowe Care Home for the Elderly Ltd had originally wanted to add an extra 12 bedrooms to its Merryfields home in Mill Lane, Felixstowe, but has now scaled down the scheme to an additional ten bed spaces.

Suffolk Coastal councillors gave the go-ahead for the project, which will create 13 new jobs.

The south area development control committee was also told the development would generate additional work for trades in the area, including entertainers, hairdressers, fitness instructor and chiropodist.

Felixstowe Care Home for the Elderly Ltd said only 1% of people over 75 years of age in Felixstowe have a care or nursing home bed available to them – the national average being 7%.

There are about 430 care beds in the town and all are full.

The extension will provide an additional ten bedrooms on two floors, together with a communal living room, staircase and lift.

In the basement there would be storage room, a laundry room and teaching facility.

Case officer Liz Beighton said there had been considerably less opposition to the revised proposal.

Extra supporting information had been submitted, including a detailed tree survey and assessment of other care homes in Felixstowe, a number of which have less or no garden and parking spaces.

She said: “There is also an economic spin-off both with direct and indirect jobs being created which has a bearing on the consideration of the proposal.”

Despite the town council calling the project a “gross overdevelopment”, it was not proved that the project would causes significant harm to the area.