A FORMER care home could be bulldozed and replaced by an exclusive development of nine four-bedroomed homes.

A planning application for the proposals at Harp Chase, Taunton, has been submitted to Taunton Deane Borough Council on behalf of Gadd Properties Ltd, of Cook Way, in the town.

If approved, it would see the demolition of the 43-bedroom Orchard Court Care Home, which closed two years ago.

The detached homes would have garages and parking spaces for two cars, while the project would include an access road.

The developers believe they would not be obliged to include any social housing in the scheme as it covers roughly the same overall area as the existing building.

A statement accompanying the application says: "The scale of the proposed houses reflect those in Harp Chase and surrounding properties.

"The dwellings will be constructed of facing brickwork and cladding under a tiled roof.

"The single storey garages between the houses will create an open atmosphere to the development."

Taunton Deane Borough Council blocked a previous application on the same site in June this year.

Orchard Court Holdings had then applied to demolish the premises and build a two-storey 78-bed specialist care home with staff and visitor parking on the plot off Shoreditch Road.

The planned new home, which had attracted opposition, including from Taunton Deane Mayor Cllr Catherine Herbert, was deemed to be "a cramped and contrived over-development" due to its height and mass and proximity to the boundaries and lack of off-road delivery space and small refuse store.

An officer's report said: "It would result in a poor quality of environment for residents with a poor level of amenity

space around the building and inappropriate obscure glazing provided to prevent overlooking and loss of privacy to neighbours that would not provide a good level of amenity to the occupiers of those rooms."