PLANS for a new dementia care home in Ferndown have been approved, 10 years after first being refused.

Despite opposition from businesses, members of East Dorset District Council’s planning committee agreed to grant planning permission for Montpelier Estate’s Wimborne Road East scheme.

Parcel delivery giant DPD said the care home was “entirely incompatible” with its neighbouring depot.

Two previous attempts to build a care home were refused – the first in 2009 – due to concerns about the scale of the development compared to the size of its plot.

However, a council planning officer said the addition of a neighbouring piece of land meant the impact of the latest scheme would be less severe.

The care home development was opposed by Ferndown and Uddens BID (business improvement district) manager, due to its proximity to the industrial estate directly north of the site.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, BID manager Kevin Poulton said there were concerns about the impact, once more businesses move in, about the potential impact on the care home’s residents.

He said it was likely that this would inlead to “increased restrictions” and pressure on how the industrial estate is developed and run.

Parcel delivery firm DPD, which has a depot behind the care home site, also opposed the development saying that its residents would be exposed to “upset and discomfort” by its round-the-clock operations.

Its representative, Matt Poore said the firm had “significant concerns” about the impact on its centre.

“DPD strives to be a good neighbour and commits management time to addressing any complaint in this area,” he said.

“I believe that with the proposed care home use, proximity to DPD and the 24/7 parcel delivery operation that environmental-related complaints will be inevitable, despite DPD not being the ‘agent for change’ or acting outside the terms of the relevant planning conditions.

“These complaints will ultimately lead to upset and discomfort among residents of a care home entitle to a comfortable stress-free living arrangement.”

Councillors unanimously agreed to approve the development on the condition that extra landscaping work be carried out to create a barrier between the care home and the DPD depot.