A large roadside advertising sign for a Chickerell care home has been refused planning consent.
The sign, which would be lit at night, was for the Queen Charlotte care home at 432 Chickerell Road, which has recently undergone improvements.
Dorset Council decided the proposed 4×2 metre roadside sign was ‘excessive in scale’ and would be ‘unduly dominating and incongruous’ – detracting from the rural nature of the area.
In contrast the planning application claimed the sign would make the area ‘feel more modern,’
Documents with the advertising application said that the sign would sit on four poles to bring it 2.3metres above undergrowth, close to the side of the road and within sight of the care home.
The application from Kingsley Healthcare comes after the business recently completed an expansion plan adding a new wing of what it described as ‘premium bedroom suites’ along with additional staff accommodation and training facilities.
A document with the application, from an agent acting for the business, says: “The proposed billboards would be a modern solution to advertising. This sign will make the area feel more modern and invested in and promote the great services of the clinic (sic) to the local area.
“The light levels will not be too bright or blinding due to the automatic light sensor.”
The care home, also referred to in the documents as a nursing home, specialises in dementia care and can cater for around fifty residents, also offering respite care.
The business has single en-suite bedrooms, landscaped gardens, multiple lounges and has dementia-friendly design features.
The latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, published in 2020, gives an overall rating of ‘good’, noting positive feedback from residents and families. A monitoring review in July 2023 decided there was no evidence requiring a reassessment of the home’s rating.
Fees at the home are advertised as being from £1,250 per week.
