Plans to demolish Hollycroft, a former care home on Hebers Ghyll Drive in Ilkley and replace it with a new bigger, modern care home has been submitted to Bradford Council.
This Edwardian building within the Ilkley Conservation Area is a ‘non-listed building of historic interest’ and closed in 2017 after four decades of being used as a care home.
Barchester Healthcare Ltd who now own Hollycroft want to knock down the building and replace it with a new 31 bedroom care home together with associated car parking, landscaping and amenity space provision.
Owners say due to the Covid pandemic a formal public consultation hasn’t taken place.
The plans have attracted a number of comments, mostly objections, with concerns about the size of the proposed new build and the potential loss of an Edwardian building; a number of the comments suggesting the current property should be modernised.
In an email to Ilkley Chat, a group of nearby residents were keen to point out that no informal discussions had been had with residents and any implied support in the application isn’t true.
Owners of neighbouring properties did grant permission to access their land in order to repair Hollycroft drains, but there has been no meaningful consultation with neighbours about future plans as has been claimed.
Ilkley Civic Society have also recommend refusal of this application with detailed comments stating: "Whilst we don’t doubt that Barchester ( the applicant) would provide ‘the premium care offer’ as they note in their statement last week. Our detailed comments doubt the ‘amazing facilities ‘ shown in the application can be provided externally or that they are working to the ‘highest standard of build’ for a conservation area involving destroying a Key Unlisted Building. We strongly disagree that the architecture of the proposed replacement is ‘sympathetic to the local conservation area’ with its volume housebuilder standard of materials.
"We suggest that a sensitive renovation and reuse for a single family home or apartments would allow the buildings architectural and historical significance to be fully appreciated."
You can have your say on the proposed plans by 7 July 2021 on the Bradford Planning Portal via the link: https://planning.bradford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=QU2Y2FDHGT300
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