Chris HillA scheme to construct 24 assisted care bungalows within the grounds of a nursing home near Dereham has won approval from councillors.Caring Homes Group submitted the plans for the single-storey homes at Oak Manor, on Dereham Road in Scarning, which cares for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other progressive dementias.Chris Hill

A scheme to construct 24 assisted care bungalows within the grounds of a nursing home near Dereham has won approval from councillors.

Caring Homes Group submitted the plans for the single-storey homes at Oak Manor, on Dereham Road in Scarning, which cares for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other progressive dementias.

Breckland council's development control committee voted unanimously to grant outline planning approval for the scheme at a meeting on Monday.

A report to the committee says: 'It is accepted within planning policy that there is a need to provide residential accommodation which caters for differing needs, including the elderly. Furthermore, there is an acknowledged need locally for specialist accommodation for the elderly as proposed here.

'In operational terms, the site benefits from the assisted care being readily provided by the existing adjacent Oak Lodge Care Home. This is especially beneficial given the potential health implications involved.'