PLANS to transform the former site of a medical centre into five new family homes have been approved.

Trafford Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to grant permission to developers Quinta Group to create one four-bedroom and four three-bedroom homes on the St John's Medical Centre site in Altrincham.

The plans include basements in each of the five properties, which might also be used as an extra bedroom.

St John's Medical Centre recently moved to new premises in Altrincham town centre at the Altrincham Health and Wellbeing Centre after it left its previous premises on St John's Road in the Downs Conservation Area.

The plans for the site include building single and two-storey side and rear 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.

Cllr Dan Jerrome of the Green Party called for more cycle storage spaces on the site during last night’s committee meeting.

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 and 1866 and designed by J Medland Taylor, which itself was converted into homes in the 1980s.

Some residents wrote letters of objection to the council ahead of last night’s meeting.

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.”

Cllr Morgan of the Conservative Group dismissed fears of a lack of green space as well as parking on site and a perceived issue with overdevelopment there.

He and all other councillors on the planning committee voted in favour of the proposals, along with officers’ recommendations.