The Development Control Committee of Hertfordshire County Council met on Friday 24 October 2025 and voted to approve an application to change the use of a property on Melbourne Road, Royston from a residential dwelling (Class C3) to a care home (Class C2). The committee heard arguments for and against the proposal, and ultimately voted in favour of granting planning permission, subject to four conditions.

Change of Use Application: 53A Melbourn Road, Royston

The committee approved the application for the change of use of 53A Melbourn Road from a Class C3 residential dwelling to a Class C2 care home. The proposal is to convert the property into a care home for up to four children aged 7-18, with staff providing 24-hour care.

Brian Owen, the team leader for development management for the county council, presented the case for the application. He stated that the property is well-located, with access to transport, the town centre, schools and other facilities. He also noted that there would be no external changes to the property, so there would be no additional overlooking.

The committee heard from Veronica Bennett, the head of children's commissioning and brokerage accommodation within children's services, who spoke in support of the application. She said that the property would provide a safe, nurturing and stable environment for children in care, close to their community, school and support networks. She added that there is a national shortage of suitable residential placements for children, and that this proposal would help to address that shortfall in Hertfordshire.

There were seven objections to the proposal, which raised concerns about the impact on residential amenity, parking, and the suitability of the property for use as a care home.

Some members of the public were concerned about the potential for anti-social behaviour. In response to these concerns, a legal advisor to the council, whose name was not provided in the transcript, stated that:

it's not a material consider planning consideration to and it we would not be appropriate for this committee to impute that individuals in care are more likely to behave in an anti-social manner so my advice to you is that is not automatically considered consideration really today and to set that to one side in relation to the application itself

The committee imposed four conditions on the planning permission:

1. A time limit for commencement of the development.
2. Adherence to the approved plans.
3. The provision of electric vehicle (EV) charging points and on-site cycle parking.
4. A restriction on the age and number of residents.

Financial Implications

The report noted that there were no direct financial implications for the council arising from the decision to grant planning permission. However, it cautioned that a refusal, or a change to the conditions, could lead to an appeal, which would incur costs for the council.

In this situation the county council may incur costs. The costs may be a combination of the costs of the county council in defending any appeal and/or if so awarded costs of other parties in making any appeal. Such costs can involve preparation of evidence, attendance at an inquiry, if this method of appeal is chosen, and legal and other representation, these costs can be substantial depending upon the circumstances of the individual case.

Adoption of Previous Meeting Minutes

The committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 September 2025 ¹.