Closed care home to be used as homeless hostel

A plan to turn an unused care home into a homeless hostel has been approved by a council.

West Berkshire Council's project to accommodate up to 16 residents at the former Chestnut Walk Care Home in Hungerford was approved on Wednesday.

Residents said they worried about the impact of the facility and Hungerford Town Council said it was concerned it could change Chestnut Walk's residential nature.

But the council said it would help "provide accommodation closer to people's support networks, services and communities, while reducing reliance on other forms of temporary accommodation."

The building was built in the early 1990s and was used as a nursing home for elderly people until it closed nine years ago.

The council said it was damaged in an arson attack in 2022, which had caused smoke damage and contributed to its "increased deterioration".