Care home plan axed over 'troubling' crime concerns

Plans for a new care home for vulnerable adults have been shelved after the police raised concerns about it being located in a hotspot area of "deeply troubling" crime.

Peterborough City Council received an application in June to turn the former 11-bedroom Lodge Hotel on Lincoln Road into a supported living and care home facility.

The applicants, named as Mr Peerbocus and Mr Khan, said the new six-bedroom complex would accommodate vulnerable adults aged 18 and over.

But after Cambridgeshire Police warned that the area was considered high-risk due to its levels of crime, they withdrew their application on Thursday.

Jules Hanrahan, a "designing out crime officer" at Cambridgeshire Police, said Lincoln Road continued to experience issues around child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

"Both of which are deeply troubling," she said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We've also seen incidents of cuckooing - where the homes of vulnerable individuals are targeted by offenders - as well as drug and weapon offences in the area."

She said this was "especially alarming" and would increase the "risk of exploitation" given the vulnerabilities of the residents who would be living at the facility.

"Given these concerns, I strongly believe that extra caution and careful consideration are needed before moving forward," Hanrahan added.

The city council's adult social care team also raised concerns about the plans and noted that they were not aligned with the team's local commissioning approach.

"Larger shared accommodation settings can present challenges in relation to compatibility, safeguarding, risk management, and the delivery of person-centred support," it said.

"These challenges are often amplified in locations where there are heightened community safety concerns.

"Taking these factors into account, adult social care commissioning would not support the proposed development at this location."

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