Children's home bid gets the nod

Jun 12 2009 by Lizzie Struthers, Irvine Herald

COUNCIL bosses want to build a children’s home opposite a primary school.

North Ayrshire Council (NAC) this week granted permission to its own plans to build a six-bedroom home for youngsters in Kilwinning’s Pennyburn Road – across from St Luke’s Primary School.

The site for the home is council-owned land covered with trees which backs on to West Byrehill Industrial Estate.

Councillors gave the nod for the single storey children’s home during a planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

This decision will now be referred on to Scottish ministers because the council, as a planning authority, has an interest in the development and secondly, the site for the home is classed as open space.

A report put before NAC’s planning committee stated the council had received one letter of objection to the children’s home plans.

Kilwinning resident Joanne Biondi objected to the lack of information being provided about the home, its postion 60 metres from a school and the increased volume of traffic from the development.

Kilwinning Community Council had chosen not to comment on the plans.

NAC’s social services department is working at replacing two larger homes, now deemed unfit for purpose, with four new purpose-built small residential centres in the area.

Two of the smaller homes, which cater for children up to 18, have already been built at James Crescent in Irvine and Nelson Road in Saltcoats.

The L-shaped unit proposed for Pennyburn Road would be the third home.