Plans to bulldoze a property in a leafy Trafford village and replace it with a 64-bed care home, where an ‘affordable’ room would cost £650 a week, are to be determined by a government inspector.

Octopus Healthcare bosses had originally been seeking permission to build a bigger ‘high-end’ 72-bed facility on Bank Hall Lane in Hale Barns, last year.

The plan was to offer 10 residents affordable rooms while the remaining 62 would be paid for privately for an undisclosed amount.

Care Home UK had been tasked with running the home on a leasehold basis.

However, members of the council’s planning committee refused the scheme on the grounds it would fail to enhance the area, cause harm to the appearance of the surrounding countryside and disturb protected species.

More than 150 residents also wrote to the council objecting to the scheme.

Last year, Coun Daniel Bunting proposed to refuse the development because it was the ‘wrong facility in the wrong place’.

Coun Nathan Evans labelled the offer of 10 affordable rooms as a ‘bit of a sap’.

However, John Cutler on behalf of Octopus Homes argued that there was a ‘real need’ to provide high-end care in the area.

That view, however, was not supported by Trafford’s children, families and wellbeing (CFW) services department, which feared that if residents who had to pay their own way ran out cash, the council would be forced to step in.

Bosses at Trafford’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) also said they were concerned the development was targeted towards a ‘high-end market’ and ‘would not deliver affordable care’ in the borough.

Last year, the town hall was forced to raid reserves and increase council tax to prop up ailing social care services.

Bosses increased the social care element of council tax by 2 percent, which raised £1.7m.

An additional £1m was also taken from reserves.

Next month, new plans to deliver a 64-bed home will be determined by a government inspector. 

A public inquiry will be held at Trafford Town Hall on June 18 at 10am.  

For further information visit planninginspectorate.gov.uk and enter reference number APP/Q4245/W/19/3225741.