Noise concerns over care home plan at old cinema

A council has raised concerns over plans to build a new care home on the site of a former cinema in Derby due to the impact of noise from a nearby pub and supermarket.

The application, submitted to Derby City Council, would see the former Showcase Cinemas site in Sinfin transformed into a new three storey 66-bed care home.

The city council has written to developer LNT Care Developments & Pear Tree to register its reservations over how suitable the site is for "sensitive residential use", due to the nearby Lidl and The Oast House pub.

However, a planning statement on behalf of the developer said the site was "highly suitable" for a care home which would provide a "much-needed" service.

The former Showcase Cinemas building has stood abandoned and partly demolished for some time, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Another planning application, for a new Burger King, Greggs and Starbucks, has also been submitted for the other side of the proposed care home, as part of a wider potential regeneration of the Foresters Way area.

The council said noise from the nearby Lidl chiller units "will require mitigation" and the delivery bay for the supermarket was "located close to the western side of the care home".

In a letter, the council said: "It is clear that there will be sources of noise on all sides of the site, both during the day and through much of the night.

"Good acoustic design could reduce the impact of external noise within the building, but it is likely that noise could be an issue within external amenity areas for the care home, particularly due to the topography and the resulting elevation of the road in relation to the care home."

The applicant's planning statement said the development would bring economic benefits "by creating more employment and economic activity, both during construction and in the long-term operation of the home".

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