Sheringham Esplanade retirement homes met with opposition

McCarthy Stone hopes to create a retirement community on the site of the former Old Grand Hotel on the Esplanade in Sheringham, which was demolished in 1974.

The Grand Hotel in Sheringham dominated the town's seafront until 1974 (Image: Newsquest)

The firm, which is one of the largest providers of independent-living apartments for older people in the UK, says these flats will help meet the growing need for such properties in North Norfolk - an area with a growing ageing population.

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The design proposed by McCarthy Stone for the retirement homes in the Esplanade, Sheringham (Image: NNDC)

The company say the design of the site has been developed following guidance from North Norfolk District Council officers, which encouraged it to ensure the proposed building blended in with the neighbouring flats, which were built in the 1970s.

However, these adjacent buildings are far from loved in the town, with many people disliking the 'brutalist-inspired' architecture.

Currently, there have been 40 objections submitted to NNDC from people complaining about the design, calling it "overbearing".

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The homes could be built on the vacant land on the left, which is the former site of the Grand Hotel in Sheringham (Image: Google)

The issue came to a head at a recent Sheringham Town Council meeting, during which members grilled an agent for the company about the project.

Councillor Tony Worboys said the developer was "stuck between a rock and a hard place" over the brief to blend in with the neighbouring buildings, which he called "the most horrible buildings in Sheringham."

While councillor Richard Shepherd called it "awful".

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The Grand Hotel in Sheringham dominated the town's seafront until 1974 (Image: Newsquest)

As well as the design, members also worried that the apartments would do little to help housing shortages in Sheringham, believing the homes would likely be snapped up by wealthy retirees from outside the town, expecting that the properties would sell at a premium due to the seafront location.

Due to these concerns, the council voted to object to the bid.

Mayor Peter Ratcliffe said: "While we are pleased to see this Brownfield site developed, and there are aspects of the application that are commendable, we are not able to support it as it stands."