Plans to build a 36-bed care home in Coalville have been rejected by North West Leicestershire District Council.

Applicant S. Rigby, of Cairnwell Developments, asked for permission in April to build the home on land to the north of Ashby Road.

The new care home was to have gone up on the site of a number of other buildings which were all to have been demolished.

The facility was to have been run by Exemplar Healthcare, which offers specialist nurse care for adults with complex needs, including people with neuro-disabilities, brain injuries, mental ill health, complex dementia, autism and learning disabilities.

The site is currently used for the display and repair of vehicles, and features a number of small brick and portable buildings

Outline planning permission has twice been given before to redevelop the site.

But Coalville planners this week refused permission for the project to go ahead.

They cited a number of reasons, including taking away from the character of other buildings in the nearby area; taking away from the significance of Snibston Colliery to the town; a lack of parking which would cause traffic problems on Ashby Road; a lack of a financial contribution to the local community.

A council officer's report sets out the reasons for the refusal.

It says: "In the opinion of the Local Planning Authority, by virtue of the overall layout, scale, design and mass of the proposal, the scheme as a whole would represent a prominent, visually obtrusive, discordant and incongruous addition to the street scene which would fail to respond positively to its context and would have a significant and unacceptable harmful impact to the visual amenities and character of the area.

The Coalville care home was to have been built over the outlined area. Image: North West Leicstershire District Council

"The scale, layout and appearance of the proposed development would erode the setting which contributes positively to the significance of the scheduled ancient monuments that form part of Snibston Colliery. Consequently, the proposal would fail to preserve the setting of the designated heritage assets resulting in less than substantial harm to the setting of designated heritage assets.

"The applicant has also failed to demonstrate that the provision of 28 off-street car parking spaces within the site would be sufficient to serve the development, which is likely lead to an increase in on-street car parking on Ashby Road, impinging the free and safe flow of traffic along the public highway.

"The application fails to demonstrate that the proposed development would not have an adverse impact on a protected species, specifically bats.

"The submitted information has not demonstrated that the more vulnerable use and development of the site could come forward without the potential to increase flood risk to the site and the surrounding area.

"In the absence of a signed Section 106 agreement to secure the financial contribution required to mitigate the development's impact on local primary healthcare services, the development would fail to accord with Policy IF1 of the Local Plan.

"Planning permission has been refused for this proposal for the clear reasons set out in this decision notice. The applicant failed to act pro-actively through early engagement with the Local Planning Authority at the pre-application stage.

"The applicant was invited to withdraw the application to seek pre-application advice prior to any re-submission but did not agree to this."