AN application for a children’s home in Dudley has been rejected by councillors despite it already being open for business.

The home, on Green Road, is an extended semi-detached house which can accommodate four young people.

The building has been operating as a care home for for about three months but did not consent for a change of use and Dudley Council planners have now denied the unnamed applicant permission to continue.

Planners concluded the home provided insufficient parking space which caused problems for highway safety.

Dudley head of planning, Carl Mellor, said: “In this case there are insurmountable highway safety issues and the proposal would not result in the creation of a sustainable form of development and thereby failing to improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area.”

In a statement applicants told planners up to four people aged between eight and 17 would live at the house and be cared for by between five and six full-time staff plus two or three part-time carers during a 24 hour period.

Planners were not impressed by the claim that there would only be two cars parked at the home.

A report for planners found the proposed three spaces were too small and when two cars were parked on the driveway one of them overhung the footpath and caused an obstruction.

The report continued: “The situation was worsened by  the high volume of vehicles which were parked outside and around the application site.

“Whilst the vehicles cannot be confirmed to be linked to the care home, any additional parking demand resulting from the care home is likely to exacerbate existing parking pressures.”

West Midlands Police also strongly objected to the application after raising concerns about the layout of the property plus a lack of a security and management plan.

Police also had worries about the already high demand on police services in the area.