People living by the site of a proposed care facility have said the three-storey building would be an invasion of privacy and lead to traffic and noise issues.
The charity Sanctuary Housing applied to Cornwall Council to build the 54-bed Mountford House care home on the site of a smaller home in Cyril Road, Truro.
The council’s planning department recommended approval, but local a Liberal Democrat councillor raised the project in a strategic planning committee this month, citing residents’ concerns.
Approving the application, council members said they believed the scheme would make “a positive contribution towards meeting a critical and growing need for specialist supported accommodation”.
The meeting heard that the proposal had been reduced from 57 beds following concern expressed by officers and residents over the size of the scheme and impact on neighbouring properties.
The applicant also revised the scheme to include a reduction in size of part of the building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Truro City Council, which was originally against the proposal, was then re-consulted and supported the altered application.
The meeting heard from resident Anthony Randall, who said described what could be built as “overshadowing and overbearing”.
“The previous care home was single-storey, whereas this is three storeys high. The increase in height is six to seven metres.
“Its size and mass is completely incongruous with the surrounding properties. It is overdevelopment.
“There are a total of 26 overlooking windows – an invasion of privacy both into surrounding properties and into the home itself from those properties.”
Alison Olds, for Sanctuary, said that Cornwall had a need for high-quality care provision and “sadly, the demand far outstrips the supply”.
She added: “Our new Mountford House proposal directly addresses that need for Truro and the wider county.”
Every room would be en-suite ensuring “privacy, dignity and comfort for residents”.
“Although the new proposal is still higher than the original care home, this is mitigated by the building footprint being smaller, and, in most cases, further away from the site boundary and surrounding neighbours.”
The application was approved by eight votes in favour, two against and one abstention.
