Traffic for care home 'would ruin our lives'

ACCESS to a major care home for the elderly proposed in Edenbridge is causing serious concern among neighbouring pensioners.

Residents living on St John's Way are opposing an application from The Brendoncare Foundation for an 88-bed home on nearby empty land.

It will come as good news for many local pensioners after the Courier revealed in November a drastic shortage in publicly-funded places, forcing the town's elderly as far as 30 miles away.

While planners cannot confirm the number of publicly-funded places that will be available, "meaningful discussions" are to take place with health and social service colleagues.

But nearby householders fear their road will be busy with vehicles coming to and from the building on a 24-hour basis.

Retired Veronica Cronin said: "It's going to be hell. We have only lived here for two years. It's going to ruin our life. It has always been quiet here and that's what we needed after we lived in London. We needed to come out and have some peace and tranquillity."

Mrs Cronin said she had no problem with the type of development it was, but her concern was with the fact that visitors, staff, and healthcare vehicles would be driving past her home.

The proposal states there will be 68 parking spaces, 14 spaces for motorbikes and another 14 for bicycles. There are expected to be about 60 members of staff employed.

Leonard Law, 79, who also lives in St John's Way, said: "I have got nothing against old age pensioners but this is not on. We are quite happy to have a nursing home up there but not to site it through a nice housing estate which will change all our lives.

"We will have a hell of a lot of different types of traffic coming through here."

Margaret Kuell, secretary of the Edenbridge Evening WI, said: "It seems like a good idea to me, doesn't it?

"If they are going to put one here then it will help the local community.

"I can't imagine that anyone would think it was a bad idea.

"There does seem to be a need for affordable places in Edenbridge but it all depends on that condition, I suppose."

Brendoncare's chief executive Ron Staker said: "We were made aware at the public exhibition in November 2008 of the concerns of local residents regarding access via St John's Way.

"We have listened and as a consequence we will not be using St John's Way as the means of access during construction.

"However, St John's Way has been built to adoptable standards and has traffic-calming measures in place, so therefore it will be the means of access in the long term, although our total care scheme will generate light traffic.

"Based on traffic surveys for this site and our experience at our other sites, there will be light traffic spread throughout the day and no regular overnight traffic."

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