DEVELOPERS have unveiled plans to turn a former care home in to a number of flats.

Colne Place care home in Earls Colne closed earlier this year after being hit hard by the pandemic.

It came after the care home received a good rating by the Care Quality Commission, but Handsale, which owned the home, admitted the Covid strain meant “the care home was no longer sustainable”.

But now the listed 19th century manor house building could be set for a new purpose and restoration after developers submitted a bid to turn the manor in to nine flats.

Developers Crown House Homes has submitted an application to Braintree Council.

According to plans set out in the bid, the flats could be made up of one, two and three bed residences.

Work could also include alteration to the building and a new drive and car park design.

Read more >> Cash-strapped care home forced to close as pandemic hits finances

However, the application also includes documents which reveal the building has suffered damage at the hands of lead thieves, as well as overgrown vegetation.

A planning statement said: “The proposed new use involves the conversion and change of use of the building and site to nine residential apartments.

“The listed building has been much altered over the years.

“The works of conversion are almost entirely internal and do not require any significant loss to the building’s surviving original fabric.

“The works of conversion have been assessed and informed by a Heritage Impact Assessment, which concludes the impact on the significance of the building is at the lower end of less than substantial, however, the proposals are considered to outweigh the modest harm by bringing the listed building back into a long-term use, providing sustainable homes and securing investment in the fabric of the building, the more historic parts of which are in need of some restoration.”

A design and access statement added: “The project is a valuable opportunity to secure the future of this listed building with a viable and sustainable use.

“The return of the site’s use to private residential and the removal of less sensitive modern adaptations is a fantastic opportunity to enhance the setting and quality of this historic asset.”