Children's home rated inadequate by Ofsted to expand in bid to improve 'community feel'

A children’s home has been granted planning permission to expand its secure facility in Peterborough in a move it hopes will help improve its poor Oftsed rating.

Clare Lodge in Glinton, Northborough, is the only all-female home of its kind in the UK, providing care, education and health support to girls aged 10 to 17 who have experienced abuse or mental health problems.

The home, which is run by Peterborough City Council (PCC), was given Ofsted’s lowest rating – inadequate – after an inspection in November last year with “serious and widespread failures” observed that meant young women were "not protected".

The home says that building new bedrooms and educational facilities will help it “meet Ofsted requirements" by ensuring "all the education facilities are separate from living accommodation”.

But their planning application was met with staunch opposition from Glinton Parish Council, with leader Cllr Gerry Kirt telling a PCC planning meeting that the Council has a “clear conflict of interest” in determining the outcome.

Home was 'Council's cash cow'

“Clare Lodge has formerly been Peterborough City Council’s cash cow,” he said.

“This cash cow is currently unwell and the desire to return it to full financial production may unduly influence today’s decision.”

Cllr Kirt went on to say that the home's plans contravene the Peterborough Local Plan and Glinton Neighbourhood Plan by extending beyond the village boundary.

He also mentioned concerns over the proposed location of the home's bin storage which he says is too close to residential properties on the nearby Ashburn Close.

'Rats and seagulls attracted to site'

This was echoed by Ashburn Close resident Verity Missin, who said she has had a rat infestation in her garden because of its vicinity to Clare Lodge, as well as “seagulls seeking food when the bins have overflowed” and “crows ripping open bags of bread delivered before the kitchens were open”.

Planning committee Chair Cllr Chris Harper (Independent) urged Clare Lodge to “find a way” to move the bins and work with the community to ensure cohesion in the village.

But he added that he was happy for the “excellent” facility to spill over the boundary, not least because Cllr Kirt said that the Parish Council would be content to move the line to allow the development which "ruined [that point] for me".

PCC planning officer Molly Hood also assured councillors that, because the extension doesn’t represent a new development, it won’t set a precedent for other buildings to be built outside the boundary.

Chair 'insulted' by suggestion committee is biased

Cllr Harper went on to say that he was a “little bit insulted” by Cllr Kirt’s suggestion that the committee may be biased, echoing Cllr Brian Rush (Conservatives) who said he was "sure all the councillors around this table have no conflict of interest or else they would have declared it”.

PCC business and infrastructure manager Steve McFaden, who submitted the application, said it was “difficult to hear” Clare Lodge described as a cash cow because the new extensions are aimed at improving its "community feel" with no intention to increase resident or staffing numbers.

He added that the purpose of the development is to allow residents to go to school on site for the day – as opposed to moving back and forth between their education and accommodation facilities – which will help them reintegrate with society when they leave.

PCC said it's "working to deliver improvements" to Clare Lodge after the publication of its Ofsted inspection report last year.

Planning committee members voted to allow the extensions to go ahead unanimously.