New care home will be built in Chadsmoor despite fears

The 41-bed home will be sited next to St Chad's Church in Chadsmoor, despite some objections from residents.

It will be built on empty land between the church and a car park on the corner of Cannock Road and Moss Street and will specialise in the care of dementia sufferers.

Planning chiefs in Cannock yesterday gave the scheme their unanimous backing and said it was much-needed.

But some residents living nearby had raised concerns the building would obscure the neighbouring church and overlook their homes.

At a meeting of Cannock Chase planning committee, planning agent and architect Richard Taylor revealed 40 new jobs would be created.

He added: "I believe the area has suffered from quite a lot of anti-social behaviour and by allowing this to go ahead in the form we want to, hopefully that will no longer be an issue."

The building would front Cannock Road with two-storey houses, with a surgery behind.

Councillor Alan Pearson said: "This is really needed in the district and will bring employment into the area. A very unsightly area will be tidied up."

Residents had sent letters of objection to Cannock Chase Council, criticising the location of the building although they said they were not against the idea of a care home in the neighbourhood.

Retired housing inspector Alan Gilbert, aged 69, said: "It's a three-storey building which is going to be looking right into some people's homes."

Fred Titley, aged 70, said the church was 120 years old and would be dwarfed by the building.