Nine Elms: A children's home operator can use a family home as base for children in care, but planning officers in Swindon disagreed with their assertion that such a use didn’t constitute a change of use.

Matthew Foley, who runs Next Step Independence, a care company in Tiverton, had applied to use a detached house as a home for two children in care.

He told planners that neither would be in need of drug or mental health rehabilitation, and with two carers on site at all times and a manager present in the day the household would not constitute more than six people.

He said that meant the house could be considered as a single household and no change of use permission for the house, from residential to institutional was needed.

While Mr Foley was given permission to use the house as a children’s home, planners said the presence of carers, even overnight, on a shift system meant the set-up could not be considered as a single household

Hannington: A plan to build 10 houses, a revision of an earlier proposal for 11, on fields wrapping around the T-junction into Queen’s Road has been turned down.

The proposal by developer A Cameron, who lives in Minety, did not find favour with people living nearby, with two dozen letters of objection being sent to council planners.

And those planners turned the plan down. They said: “The scheme would result in an incongruous, prominent form of new development which causes harm to the character and appearance of the Hannington Conservation Area.”

They did not like the effect the small development would have had ton the Grade II-listed 17th century Hill Farmhouse, which would have been next to the new scheme, adding: “The proposal would fail to preserve the important open spaces which are significant to the agricultural character of the area and would fail to preserve the setting of the listed building and buildings of local significance.”

Railway Village: The conversion of three units in the historic Carriage Works buildings into part of the Royal Agricultural University continues. An application to move two heating and cooling air source heat pumps in the service road behind the building to help with the refitting has been approved.

Highworth: A new house could be squeezed into the space between two large family houses if the plans of Andrew and Antoinette Woodcock are approved.

They own 10 Oak Drive and want to build a three-bedroom two-storey detached house, with parking for two cars on their garden land between their home and number 8 next door. Their plan is then to separate the new house and its surrounding land from their property.

Their application says building the house will not have a negative impact on them or their neighbours.

Blunsdon: Planners have approved Hills Homes’ drainage and hard landscaping plans for the company’s plan to build 54 houses on green fields between the B4019 and Hatchers Crescent.

Extensions: Applications have been lodged to build extensions or outbuildings or convert buildings or lofts into habitable rooms for: 4 Clarke Drive, Old Shaw; 17 Normandy Road, Wroughton; 18 Corby Avenue, Lakeside; 7 The Beanlands, Wanborough; 18 Greywethers Avenue, Old Town; 12 Bonner Close, Grange Park; 30 Holne Road, East Wichel; 15 Darcey Close, Grange Park; Clouts View, Church Hill, Wroughton and 10 Kings Avenue, Highworth.

Such applications have been approved for: 42 Basingstoke Close, Freshbrook; 29 Osterley Road, Haydon Wick; 47 South View Avenue, Old Walcot; 11 Robinscroft, Blunsdon St Andrew; and 30 Basil Close , Woodhall Park.