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Plan for ex-care home approved - despite concerns

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromGreat Yarmouth Town Hall
Andrew Turner/BBC Abbeyfield House is a yellow brick building with a concrete tiled pitched roof. It has white plastic windows and four of the rooms on the upper storeys, which are pictured, feature balconies. There is a large hedge at the front of the property which fronts onto Lawn Avenue.Andrew Turner/BBC
Abbeyfield House was bought by Great Yarmouth Borough Council

A council that has approved plans to use a former care home as accommodation for people experiencing homelessness said residents' concerns had not been ignored.

Abbeyfield House Care Home, which closed in 2023, was bought by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Residents living near the property, on Lawn Avenue, told BBC Radio Norfolk they were concerned about the impact on their area if it became a warden-controlled unit.

But Emma Flaxman-Taylor, a Conservative councillor with a responsibility for housing, said: "We don't ignore anybody who lives near a site we look at. We will definitely work with all residents and neighbours if they've got any concerns."

Andrew Turner/BBC Emma Flaxman-Taylor has long blonde hair, tied back in a pony tail. She is wearing a grey jersey which has silver bobbles sewn on. She is standing outside Great Yarmouth Town Hall, a red-stone building dating to 1883 which features decorative masonry, sash windows and a large oak double door.Andrew Turner/BBC
Emma Flaxman-Taylor, cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods, said using Abbeyfield House would help keep people out of B&Bs

Flaxman-Taylor said it meant the authority would spend less on temporary accommodation.

"There are no risks and no issues at present.

"This is about people coping, learning life skills and being able to resettle into further accommodation after two years of being in that property," she said.

"We want to keep people out of bed and breakfast [accommodation]. We use that as a last resort.

"The cost yearly is £20k for us to house one person in a Travelodge."

She said she understood the concerns of Abbeyfield House's neighbours, but assured them the council would act if issues arose.

Under the plans, it would have nine rooms for people who are registered homeless, with a 10th room for support workers on night shifts.

It was the borough council's third attempt to secure a property to help people adjust to moving into permanent accommodation.

Andrew Turner/BBC Melanie Holland has long blond hair, and is wearing a pink and brown jersey. She is standing on the red-carpeted staircase at Great Yarmouth Town Hall. There are stained glass windows behind her.Andrew Turner/BBC
Head of strategic housing, Melanie Holland, said Abbeyfield House could be for people leaving the armed services or the care system to get them "tenancy ready"

Melanie Holland, head of strategic housing, said: "We see a number of single homeless households that need to be in temporary accommodation, but they need to have life skills and other forms of training to make sure they become tenancy-ready."

She added: "This scheme is not for people who have been rough sleeping, or street homeless.

"This is for people who are single homeless, in priority need, so this is people that could include a care leaver, [someone] leaving the armed forces who is struggling to deal with independent living, or someone coming out of hospital."

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