Standlake villagers fight care home plan for The Bell

Dozens of people have voiced their views online since the application to redevelop The Bell Inn in Standlake, near Witney, was submitted in April.

The High Street pub was severely damaged by a fire in September 2015 and has remained closed ever since, but the new plans have divided residents.

While some villagers are pleased the site could be put to good use, many more have expressed fears about how a care home would impact issues including traffic, parking and the environment.

One villager, Madeleine Garrett, said: “I feel that the current plans are excessive in terms of size and scale, and are not in keeping with the village.

“Parking on the High Street will be affected, light pollution will increase, as will noise pollution with the inevitable increase in emergency vehicles coming into the village. Standlake’s infrastructure is not equipped to handle a development of this size.”

Another resident, Anne Cullinan, added: “This is far too large for the High Street. Great as a pub but it's now being demolished for a commercial enterprise.

"64 rooms will be loads of extra traffic for the staff and also all the visitors. We already have a big nursing home in the village, we do not need another.”

The new care home would be operated by the Berkley Care Group, which runs another branch at Cumnor Hill, Oxford.

It would be the second care home in the village of 1,500 residents, joining the Meadow View building in Rack End.

The fire at The Bell destroyed some of the roof and caused the main ceiling to collapse, with the high repair costs meaning reopening the business was not financially viable.

Some villagers raised concerns at the impact of the care home on the village’s sewers, but, by Thursday, 13 people had commented in support.

One resident, Anthony Rumbles, said: “This plan would turn a burnt out eyesore which was once The Bell into something useful which will cater for the ever-increasing elderly population.”

Seamus Halton, CEO of the Berkley Care Group, said: “There’s often a fear at the beginning that it will produce a tremendous amount of traffic and that’s rarely how it turns out.

“None of the 64 residents will have cars and we also supply disabled minibuses and chauffeur cars to pick up relatives.

“All our care homes have a bar and bistro or a pub at the heart and all villagers are invited to come and participate in the music and entertainment.”

A decision is expected by late summer.