Care home plans agreed for former Dagenham convent

A former convent is set to be transformed into a 60-bed care home for the elderly after planning permission was granted last night.

Councillors voted unanimously to give the green light to converting and extending Sacred Heart convent, in Goresbrook Road, Dagenham, at a Development Control Board meeting, despite the objection of a neighbour.

Plans to turn the building into 20 two-storey homes were rejected in 2013, but the unit is now set to become a 1,871sq m old persons home complete with dining areas, bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry and a main reception area.

The development will create about 38 full-time and 12 part-time jobs and has the option to add other facilities such as a coffee bar and beauty salon, alongside a car park.

“It was a good result,” said Matt Hubbard, director of agents The Planning Hub.

“It means the building will stay, which was the main point of the exercise.

“That building will stay and its future will be preserved now.”

The council received three letters of representation as part of the consultation process, with one, from a Baden Powell Close resident, objecting on the grounds that the design is “unsympathetic” and “out of keeping with the original building”.

The individual also expressed concerns about privacy, security and light.

Developers County Court Care could begin construction work in the spring and open in 2017, if permission is granted.