Hillingdon Council Approves New Care Home Near Primary School
Hillingdon Council's Planning Committee has approved plans for a new care home for up to four children aged 10 to 17, located adjacent to Holy Trinity Primary School on Kewferry Road.
The decision, made on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, followed a meeting of the Hillingdon Planning Committee where the change of use application for 5 Kewferry Road was discussed. The care home is designed to provide specialized support for children facing emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs, considered to be low-risk but with high care needs. This includes children with mild learning difficulties, emotional or developmental delays, or challenges related to early trauma. The children in care would be Hillingdon's own looked-after children as a first priority, and secondly, children placed out-of-borough by Hillingdon Children's Services due to insufficient local provision, who would benefit from return to the borough.
Despite objections from residents and the Northwood Residents Association concerning the proximity to the primary school and highway impacts, the committee voted to approve the application. Concerns raised during the meeting included the potential for unsupervised children to interact with primary school pupils. However, officers assessed this and concluded there is no planning basis for concern, stating that all outgoings by the children are supervised, and visitors are restricted by condition to appointments only between 9 am and 6 pm. Staff shift changes happen outside of school hours entirely.
Officers' recommendation for approval was based on the identified need for such facilities within the borough and the modest scale of the development, which would not materially alter the property's appearance. Conditions have been imposed to manage staff numbers, occupancy, and visitation times. Specifically, there will be a maximum of four children and a maximum of four staff on-premises at any time. A record of people coming and going in terms of visitation needs to be kept. The management plan, which includes operating times and shift patterns, has some enforcement clout and has been used in previous appeal decisions. If an applicant were not complying with the management plan, an enforcement investigation could be opened, and potential enforcement action taken.
Concerns were also raised about insufficient on-site parking and the suitability of the location for children with intensive care requirements or antisocial behaviour. The proposal would provide three off-street parking spaces, which is policy compliant for the use and scale proposed. A swept path analysis shows that the parking area would be functional and allow for maneuverability of vehicles on the frontage of the site. The expanded parking area would be where the lawn is currently. Existing restrictions, such as zigzag hatching adjacent to the school and double yellow lines on the other side of the road, are considered to further act as a deterrent to on-street parking. Furthermore, a condition for a staff travel plan has been included, which will allow for effective consideration and monitoring of commuting arrangements and further alleviate potential highways concerns.
The applicant's agent highlighted that any provider must first satisfy Ofsted registration through a completely independent process. This includes a fit person assessment of their directors and managers, enhanced DBS checks for every member of staff, a physical inspection of the building, and a rigorous review of all safeguarding arrangements. No child can be placed until Ofsted is satisfied. This scrutiny is independent of the planning committee's decision, as Ofsted's job is to assess the operators, and the committee's job is to assess the use of the building.
Ward Councillor Anisha Teji, speaking in his absence, echoed residents' concerns about the cumulative effect of care homes in Northwood, noting that this would be the third family home converted to a care home in under two years in the area, sitting alongside at least four established nursing homes. He also raised concerns about the intensification of activity and potential harm to neighbour amenity. Policy DMH8I supports care homes only where they do not create an over-concentration of similar uses that harms residential character or amenity. The inspector in the Frithwood Avenue case stated that the test is whether concentration causes demonstrable harm, not simply the number of homes. Each new case must be judged against what has already been permitted. While the report treats this application on its own, members are asked to judge the cumulative effect on Northwood's residential streets.
However, the committee ultimately approved the application, acknowledging the borough's need for such facilities and the proposed conditions to manage operational impacts. The full details of the committee's decision can be found in the Decisions 14th-Oct-2026 Hillingdon Planning Committee document.
More information about the meeting and reports can be accessed via the Public reports pack 14th-Oct-2026 Hillingdon Planning Committee and the Agenda frontsheet 14th-Oct-2026 Hillingdon Planning Committee.