PLANS to turn a former nursing home into a home for vulnerable young people have been met with concerns by nearby residents.

South Church Nursing and Residential Home, near Bishop Auckland, has been boarded up since last year.

A planning application has now been submitted to Durham County Council to see a clause allowing the site only to be used for a nursing removed.

If successful, the applicant then plans to apply for permission to create a children’s home.

Residents are worried these plans will affect their community and many have put forward objections, although a spokesman on behalf of the applicant said they will engage with the community once plans are finalised.

One couple said: “This will ruin our village. It is far too close to neighbouring houses and we believe it will cause nothing but trouble in our village.

“We have lived in South Church for over 30 years and feel the neighbourhood should have been consulted before a place like this was to be opened on our doorstep.”

Another resident said: “I would like to know why all residents were not informed of this application. I would also like to strongly oppose this application going ahead on behalf of myself, my husband and my neighbour.

“It will have a negative impact on the area, increase anti-social behaviour, increase insurance premiums and decrease property value.”

A third resident said: “We strongly don't agree with the nursing home been turned into a bad lads home.

“It could cause trouble in the village house prices to drop as no one would want to move here due to having a bad lads home in the village.

“It's been really sneaky the way they are going about it as only some people have been notified about it.”

A spokesman for the Cambian Group, which is acting on behalf of the applicant, said: “We are currently taking forwards an application to change the use of this property to provide care for children.

“Should this be successful we will provide much needed care for some of the UK’s most vulnerable young people. We have yet to finalise our exact plans of the profile of the young people at this service.

“As with all our projects we will engage appropriately with the local community as and when such plans are finalised and the refurbishment of the site starts.

“We also recognise that the service will provide good employment opportunities in the locality.”