An application has been put forward to turn a retirement home back into a single-family home in Kew as "it was no longer fit for purpose or aligned with current market expectations".

The plans intend to breathe new life into the property, which from 2004 was run as sheltered housing by The Abbeyfield Society until it ceased operations in 2024.

In the application, Planning Solutions Ltd said: "In its current form the building is materially constrained by an increasingly obsolete specification; its internal layout is inefficient and is no longer aligned with contemporary standards."

If approved, the proposals would see the reversion of the detached, two-storey building on Ennerdale Road into a five-bedroom home.

A marketing exercise carried out by J. Brown on behalf of the applicants generated 46 enquiries and 12 formal offers, but J. Brown said none of these was from sheltered housing, care or assisted living operators.

"This reflected the inadequacy of the accommodation for these purposes and that it was uneconomic to undertake works to bring it up to current standards," the planning documents added.

The Abbeyfield Society ran an independent living scheme comprising self-contained bedsits with communal areas, a kitchen, dining room, lounge and gardens.

No care was provided on site unless in the case of emergencies.

advertisement

To read the full application click here.

READ MORE: Richmond Park's Beverley Brook set for major ecological facelift.

We want to provide Richmond with more and more clickbait-free local news. To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following. Help us survive and sign up for our free weekly newsletter by clicking the link HERE.