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January 5th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda -
Athlete and mother vows to fight the ruling ‘tooth and nail’ and will challenge council’s decision through law
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Says she was happy with original care home proposals but that new, expanded plan looks ‘awful, just like a prison’
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‘People think that because you are in the public eye you are loaded – but that is just not true…I am a hard working single mum who has bought this beautiful family home’
By
Rebecca Seales
Last updated at 3:23 PM on 5th January 2012
Crushed: Sharron Davies says the ‘prison’-like care home will ruin her view and compromise her privacy
Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies broke down in tears today after losing a planning battle to stop councillors approving a huge care home at the bottom of her garden.
Former TV Gladiator Ms Davies moved into her dream £1.1 million, Grade-II listed mansion with her family just before Christmas.
But now the athlete, 49, and her neighbours have been left devastated following a council meeting which ruled that a multi-million pound unit could be built next to her land.
Mother-of-three Sharron has vowed to fight the case ‘tooth and nail’ and has consulted her barrister about challenging the councillors’ decision through law.
She wept: ‘I am very upset and disappointed by the decision. The whole thing has been snuck under the radar and it is so unfair.
‘People think that because you are in the public eye you are loaded – but that is just not true. I could not afford to lose my deposit when I found out about it.
‘I am a hard working single mum who has bought this beautiful family home in this lovely place – but that dream has now evaporated.
‘Everybody could see that the planners felt that if it wasn’t a care home then they would have voted it down.
‘That means it should not have been approved. The decision was made on emotions but not law. If it was a block of flats or a warehouse then it would have been refused.
‘We are not against care homes, just the size, mass and appearance of this building which will be so close to our homes.’
Former swimming star Ms Davies, who won silver in the 400m individual medley at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, bought the Georgian mansion house in September.
The stunning Wiltshire property, on the site of Bradford-upon-Avon’s former hospital, had been split into four homes before she snapped up the main part of the building.
Private care home provider Castlemead, which boasts Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond as a major shareholder, had outlined plans for a new 42-bed centre in its grounds.
Ms Davies was happy with the original proposals and signed up to buy her dream home.
But just 48 hours later she learned that plans had ‘radically’ expanded, meaning the centre would cater for 63 elderly residents and those suffering from dementia.
Ms Davies said: ‘I have never objected to a care home being there but they have increased the capacity by 50 per cent, from 42 to 63.
‘It is going to be on four storeys and looks awful, just like a prison. There has been no consideration about residents, it is all about the bottom line.
‘The hypocrisy is that Castlemead will be able to charge a premium for residents having a view of lovely listed buildings, while those of us who have paid for and live in the houses will have a view of a horrible prison.
Dream in tatters: The Grade II Listed home in Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, cost £1.1m and is on the site of the town’s former hospital
Plans: The red circle shows the site of Ms Davies’ home, while the blue is the proposed site of the new 63-room care home
‘We will still be paying for the upkeep of our homes. It is the loss of local amenity and our privacy.
‘It will be so close that I will be able to see the whites of residents eyes as they sit in their community room, which will be on two levels.’
Councillors voted by eight to four to give the green light to the controversial plan during an hour-long meeting last night.
The proposal had already been backed by local health campaigners in the Wiltshire town, who have spent the last six years battling for a care home on the site.
John Cottle, head of the health campaign, said: ‘We are delighted that after several false starts councillors have approved our plan.
‘We have campaigned for this to happen since the hospital’s closure.’
Tony Cole, business development director for Castlemead, said work would begin on the summer, with the care home opening in 2013.
He said: ‘We’re delighted with the decision that at last will provide a much needed facility for the residents of Bradford.’
Ms Davies, along with a group of neighbours, has engaged a top London barrister to challenge the decision.
Her objections have been backed by the town’s preservation trust and a growing number of locals.
She added: ‘What really worries me is that local people have been duped into thinking that this care home is going to be a facility for the community.
‘Castlemead said that there could be spaces for NHS patients but with all of the cut-backs are they really going to fund a £1,000 a week place if there is a £600 one?
‘My barrister believes I have a very strong case and I am determined to fight this as far as I can.
‘If this goes to judicial review then it will be judged purely on a planning, legal argument instead of emotions. I am convinced that the outcome will be very different.’
Miss Davies standing at the edge of her property behind which developers are planning to build the care complex
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my council ‘Fenlands’ (historically a marsh area before engineering~) gave permission for a drain taking road water to be built on, i protested because the water will come into my property if we don’t have a drain and i was told’ ‘ it wasn’t a planning concern” by someone called Hamish. Makes you wonder what does concern the planners? revenue?
i think the rules which the planners operate in need a review, why ain’t drainage a concern?
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Plant a ton of trees at the bottom of your garden, visit everyone in the new care home and cheer them up. I’m sure they’d rather be in your shoes any day!
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Welcome to the real world, Sharon. There is a shortage of such beds and it is only right and proper that these elderly people will be able to share your views and tranquility. It could be worse, it could be tescos.
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Looks like there’s plenty of offers of places to move it to instead.
I assume all those posting the “NIMBY” accusation will be delighted to offer land next to them instead.
It’s easy to shout “NIMBY” when its Not In YOUR Back Yard.
(Though I have to say that former hospital ground does seem quite an appropriate place for a new care home.. as long as the correct procedure is followed – perhaps there is scope for interested parties consulting and modifying the plans to minimize the impact on neighbours as much as possible?)
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It’s not a £1.1m mansion any more, more like a £750,000 one now.
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ultimate payback..plant loads of those huge lalandi trees..that’ll hide the care home from view!
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Oh poor women !!!!
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Get used to it. I had a beautiful view of the South Downs until a Prescott imposed 700 houses were built against local council wishes. Now all I can see is the back of other houses. No possibility of compensation or even a reduction in council tax.
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just wanted to say ha ha ha ha
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sorry but welcome to the real world, celebrity satus does not give you immunity
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