AN APPLICATION to turn a former community centre into a block of 19 apartments has been submitted to Wrexham council.

Wales and West Housing Association (WWHA) is looking to demolish the Kingsley community centre on Eaton Drive in the Caia Park area of Wrexham.

The site is said to have been sold by the council to a private land owner following the cessation of its use. WWHA has recently acquired the site from this landowner.

The landowner gained planning approval for a scheme of 16 one and two bed apartments. This is in the form of a three-storey building with a communal parking area.

In its application submitted to Wrexham Council, WWHA says it 'wishes to revise the current scheme' and to provide a scheme of supported living and general needs accommodation working in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council’s adult social care department.

The council are looking for an apartment scheme to provide supported living to assist people to live independently with on-site 24-hour care with staff facilities.

This would be through an apartment with shared living and kitchen facilities and 4 individual ensuite bedrooms with staff bedroom. This apartment would have access to an outside garden area.

The remainder of the ground floor would be a number of one bed apartments for to provide a further degree of independent living which will be supported through the same on-site care.

Separate accesses and internal access points have been designed into the scheme to meet this requirement with a further separate access for the first and second floor.

The proposed scheme provides for one 4 bed apartment and 4 one bed apartments on the ground floor and 10 one bed and 2 two bed apartments over the first and second floor. This makes a total of 19 apartments.

The application further states: "As this project is at concept stage we have not yet undertaken public consultation on this scheme, however we have been working closely with the Council’s social services, housing and estates teams to develop the scheme.

"One objection was received during the planning application. The matters raised were related to the form and height of the building and the nature of resident that this development will attract. The planning officer was satisfied with the form of the building and the separation distances from surrounding buildings. Our proposed scheme does not differ significantly from the previously approved scheme."

A decision on the application is yet to be made.