Exciting plans are underway to transform the former nursing home in Barham into two homes, with new builds in the grounds approved by the council
Barham: A former nursing home that had to shut down after a bad inspection is getting a new lease on life. It’s being turned into two homes, plus two new ones in the garden.
This place, Barham House, was closed in March 2021 when the Care Quality Commission gave it an ‘inadequate’ rating. That led to Kent County Council pulling its registration.
Bright Care had just bought the home in 2020 and wanted to make improvements. But, like many, they struggled during the Covid pandemic.
Over 20 elderly residents had to find new homes, and the property was initially listed for £2.1 million, hoping a new operator would step in.
But the old 18th-century building just couldn’t be reopened as a nursing home due to its age and limitations.
Eventually, it sold at auction for just over £1 million, and now Canterbury City Council has given the green light for redevelopment.
Developer Quinn Homes plans to keep the character of the Grade II-listed property intact.
They’re looking to build two new four-bedroom houses in the grounds and convert the main house into two separate homes—one with four bedrooms and the other with five.
The plans include necessary internal changes to the listed building.
Barham Parish Council didn’t raise any objections to the proposal.
Quinn Homes conducted a heritage assessment and found that the best use for the building is to convert it back into homes.
However, the costs of repairs and upgrades made it impractical to turn it into a single home or a modern care facility.
When granting permission, city council officials felt that any potential harm to the building’s heritage was outweighed by the benefits of repurposing it for residential use.
