A FORMER medical centre is being transformed to make way for homes.

St John's Medical Centre recently moved to a new site in the town centre at Altrincham Health and Wellbeing Centre after vacating the St John's Road site in the Downs Conservation Area.

Now, developers Quinta Group have applied to Trafford Council for permission to turn the former medical centre into five new dwellings - one four-bedroom home and four three-bedroom homes (all with a basement that might be used as another bedroom).

The developers are seeking permission for work include building single and two-storey rear and side extensions, adding a basement and replacing the building’s rear dormers, demolishing the existing side extensions and outbuilding, making changes to the building’s roof, adding in windows on the front of the building and building a carport behind the building.

While there are currently 30 car parking spaces at the old centre, after the building work is done, the expectation is there will be 10 car parking spaces and six bicycle storage spaces on site.

The developers have agreed to salvage stone to reuse it on site during the build wherever possible.

The original building dates from the 1800s and was originally used as a school, then became a medical centre in the 1980s.

The building sits on the same site as the Grade-II listed Church of St John the Evangelist, built between 1865-1866 and designed by James Medland Taylor, which was itself converted into homes in the 1980s.

The application has prompted a number of objections from nearby residents.

One resident said: “I am concerned that this application will not only affect the privacy and enjoyment of several neighbouring properties, including my own, but it will harmfully affect the Conservation Area.”

Others raised concerns about light pollution from the carport at the rear of the building, the extensive digging work that will need to be done to provide basements for the new homes and the pressure new homes could place on local resources.

Trafford Council’s planning committee will evaluate the application at their next meeting on Thursday 12 August.

Council officers have recommended that the application should be granted, subject to a substantial list of conditions to manage and protect the heritage of the site and protect the surrounding residential area.