PROPOSALS for a massive increase in the size of one of Felixstowe's clifftop retirement homes should get the go-ahead next week .Owners John Smith and Colin Bentley are seeking permission to increase 20-bed Coniston House by adding an extra 43 rooms in a new development next door.

PROPOSALS for a massive increase in the size of one of Felixstowe's clifftop retirement homes should get the go-ahead next week .

Owners John Smith and Colin Bentley are seeking permission to increase 20-bed Coniston House by adding an extra 43 rooms in a new development next door.

The project will be built on the site of Edwardian house The Mount, which has just been demolished, at the end of Garfield Road.

The proposed extension - set to be approved by Suffolk Coastal's south area development control sub committee on Thursday - will be part three-storey and part four-storeys in height, set into Bulls Cliff and designed so as not to harm the sea views of other properties in the area.

Lincoln Terrace would also be given a proper road surface.

While Felixstowe Town Council is still concerned about the stability of the cliff, engineers have assessed the cliffs to check they will be able to take the development and say the proposed building will improve the stability of the slope.

Thirteen letters of objection have been sent to the council voicing concerns including parking and increased traffic, loss of privacy from overlooking, and the building being too big.

A report by planners said: “There can be no doubt that the proposed development is significant.

“It proposes the erection of 1,956 sq metres of floor space, and will occupy a prominent clifftop location.

“However, the overall height of the proposed development, when seen on the sky line, will not exceed that of the former house that existed on the site.”

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