Demolition of Shotton’s Melrose Day Care Centre Set for March

A former day care centre in Shotton is set to demolished making way for new council housing.

Wates Living Space, the privately-owned construction company who won a multi-million pound contract from Flintshire County Council to build social housing, were granted planning permission to level the Melrose Centre in December.

The centre which provided much needed day care services for pensioners and those living with dementia was closed by the council due to budget cuts.

Prior to closure in 2015, council officials launched a consultation on the future of the Melrose Centre, 75 percent of its users responded to a consultation questionnaire with all expressing a desire for it to remain open.

Despite the overwhelming support for the centre officials pressed ahead with the closure in an effort to bridge the growing budget shortfall.

The building has since been boarded up and ‘mothballed’ it was placed on a community asset transfer list however, nobody appears to have expressed an interest in taking over the building which has steadily fallen into a state of disrepair.

The building was in need of ‘upgrade work’ prior to closure.

Plans are now in place to build social housing on the site once the building has been demolished and site cleared.

Six new two storey council homes are to be built on the land including single bedroom apartments alongside two and three bedroom houses.

The houses are part of a second phase of the council’s Strategic Housing And Regeneration Programme (SHARP) the affordable housing scheme which will eventually see 500 new homes built across county by 2021.

Thieves appear to have stripped lead flashing from much of the roof

A spokesperson for Flintshire County Council said;

“The application to demolish the former Melrose Centre was made on the 6 December 2016 by Wates Construction Ltd. It is anticipated that, subject to the necessary planning approvals, demolition work will commence on site in early March and will take approximately six weeks to complete.

All demolition work will be carried out in compliance with the Construction, Design and Management Regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act with work on the housing scheme, again subject to the necessary council and planning approvals, beginning in Summer 2017.”

Planning Document: flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/NewDocView/111760

Flintshire council say £4m has been allocated for the construction of a brand new learning disability day services facility which will replace the existing Glanrafon Centre in Queensferry.

This is part of the Council’s commitment to day care for service users.