A former mental health hospital which closed after being placed in special measures could become a house of multiple occupation (HMO) if new plans put to a council are given the green light.
Admissions were stopped at St Johns House in Lion Road, Palgrave, near Diss, in December 2020 after Care Quality Commission inspectors placed the facility in special measures, finding some interactions between patients and staff “demonstrated elements of abuse”.
On three occasions, CCTV footage captured staff sleeping when they should have been observing vulnerable patients and the hospital closed its doors in 2021.
Now, applicant Mendlesham Homes Ltd has submitted change of use plans to Mid Suffolk District Council to transform the site into a HMO.
No external building operations are proposed and the inside of the building already consists of bedrooms complete with en-suites, as well as communal areas, meeting rooms, kitchens and dining areas.
The property also has a large car parking area at the front.
Other existing buildings to the east of the site are also vacant and a statement to the council said these will be the subject of a separate application.
The statement said: "The proposal represents a sustainable development as it involves the reuse of an existing building and will provide low-cost housing.
"The change of use of the building as proposed would have no material impact on the visual amenity of the area, heritage assets, wildlife interests, highway safety or any other interests of acknowledged importance."
At the time of the hospital closure, chiefs said the decision “was not taken lightly” and said it had continued to suffer from recruitment difficulties it said stemmed from a nationwide shortage of specialist nursing staff for learning disability services.
The house of multiple occupation plan is now with Mid Suffolk District Council pending consideration.
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