Fresh plans have been submitted to turn a house in Stanmore into a children’s residential care home after an earlier application was refused by Harrow Council.
The proposal is for a property on Sitwell Grove and would change the use of the existing semi-detached house from a family home to a small residential home for up to three children aged between 10 and 17.
No extension, demolition or major external alterations are proposed. The property would keep its existing domestic appearance, garden and three off-street parking spaces.
Previous application was refused
An earlier application for a children’s home at the same address was refused in April.
Council planners said insufficient information had been provided to demonstrate a local need for the facility or guarantee priority placements for Harrow children. They also raised concerns about the technical loss of an existing family home from the borough’s housing stock.
The new submission has been prepared specifically to address those issues.
Planning documents say Harrow Council’s Placements Team identified continuing difficulties finding suitable specialist placements for children with complex needs. The applicant is now proposing to give Harrow a 10-working-day priority period whenever an appropriate vacancy becomes available.
Quiet hours and neighbour contact proposed
The home would operate with continuous staff supervision, while staffing levels would depend on the needs of the children living there.
A management plan proposes residential quiet hours between 9pm and 7am, with garden use and external activity limited during those hours.
Immediate neighbours would also be given contact details for the home’s manager, with complaints acknowledged within 24 hours and a substantive response normally provided within seven working days.
The existing family currently living at the property intends to relocate voluntarily before the proposed home opens.
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