West Berkshire Council has applied to convert the long-vacant Chestnut Walk care home in Hungerford into temporary supported accommodation for local residents in housing need.
The plan is a change of use of the existing building - not new build or an expanded footprint - and would use 12 rooms to provide short-term housing, mainly for single-occupancy households.
There will be private bedrooms and the layout can be partitioned into self-contained, multi-bedroom family units if needed. Stays are intended to be short to medium term while residents get housing-related support to move on to settled homes.
The site will be managed by West Berkshire Council to provide a respectful, supportive environment for residents and neighbours. On-site staff, resident presence, security and CCTV are expected to improve safety.
The building has been empty for several years and was recently subject to an arson attempt and break-ins. Bringing it back into use and actively managing it is intended to reduce those risks and benefit the local community.
The council says the project supports its priority to help vulnerable people and tackle homelessness. It has a statutory duty to provide accommodation and currently places many households in bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation.
There is a shortage of council-managed accommodation in the area - almost all current provision is centred around Newbury and Thatcham - so this would provide local, temporary options for West Berkshire residents.
If planning permission is granted, no start date has been confirmed.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
