Former Hungerford care home approved for temporary housing

Chestnut Walk Care Home in Hungerford, an unused council-owned building, will be turned into temporary supported accommodation.

The council has a legal duty to provide accommodation for people who are homeless while arrangements are made for “more settled accommodation”.

At present, many households are placed in bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation, which is “costly, disruptive for families, and often outside the local area.”

The new accommodation will help vulnerable people and tackle homelessness, providing accommodation for up to 16 individuals across 12 self-contained bedrooms.

It is intended for local households in housing need, which may include individuals, couples or families with children.

The council says there remains a shortage of suitable accommodation for single people, who make up the majority of households requiring temporary housing, and that Chestnut Walk would help fill that gap.

No new buildings or extensions are planned – works will be focused on internal refurbishment, accessibility improvements, including wet rooms, and installing new internal doors.

These new doors will enable wings of the property to be sealed off as self-contained multi-bedroom family units when necessary.

The site will be managed by WBC – it will be responsible for all repairs and maintenance.

The building “has remained unused for several years,” according to the council, and this scheme will turn it into “safe, short-term accommodation for people from West Berkshire.”

In the planning documents, West Berkshire Council said the addition will “strengthen the distribution of services across the district” ensuring “fairer access” for residents from the western areas of West Berkshire.

Documents state that Chestnut Walk will have housing and tenancy support staff on site during daytime hours. Residents will be offered help with employment, budgeting and life skills.

Outside staffed hours, the site will be monitored by professional security personnel, with a management plan covering visitor arrangements, incident reporting and housekeeping standards.

The council argued there is a clear need for the facility because its existing temporary accommodation provision, Walnut Close in Thatcham, is focused on families and has helped reduce reliance on hotels and bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

The authority has also highlighted the geographical benefits of the proposal. At present, people who become homeless in Hungerford and the western part of the district are often placed in Newbury, Thatcham or hotel accommodation along the M4 corridor.

West Berkshire Council said bringing Chestnut Walk back into use would allow residents to remain closer to employment, support networks, healthcare services and other community links while longer-term housing solutions are found.

Thames Valley Police initially objected to the scheme, raising concerns about the building's layout and the level of supervision proposed for residents.

They said a 24-hour staff presence would be "essential" unless physical alterations were made to address security concerns.

The police position softened shortly before the planning committee meeting. In a separate letter, TVP said it understood changes were being considered to the building's internal layout and the location of cycle storage to improve security.

West Berkshire Council believes bringing the site back into use will “improve security for the surrounding area”.

“The building has been empty for several years and has recently been subject to an arson attempt and break-ins,” the council said.

“Making the building active and managed again will help reduce these risks.”

WBC will put CCTV in appropriate communal areas, exits and entrances.

“Antisocial behaviour is a common concern raised by local residents, and it has been explicitly considered as part of the project planning,” the council said.

Controls include “careful allocation of households, clear house rules and tenancy expectations, ongoing management and swift response to issues.”

The intention is to ensure Chestnut Walk is a “well-run, low-impact site.”

While some additional vehicle activity is expected, the scale is limited by the size of the existing building and the short-term nature of the stays.

Experience at similar schemes “shows residents rely mostly on public transport,” said WBC.

At a Western Area Planning Committee on Wednesday (September 16), the panel granted the scheme permission.

At this stage, no start date for building works has been confirmed.