THE developer behind a new care home planned for Cumnor has admitted some neighbours “absolutely hate it”.

But the company has promised to try to modify the scheme to mollify locals.

People got their first glimpse of the plans, by London-based Frontier Estates, at a public exhibition in Cumnor United Reformed Church.

The firm has already bought 1.2 acres of land next to Timbmet business park on Cumnor Hill and wants to build a 70-bed home there – the fifth care home in the area.

More than 40 people went to the exhibition, and several told the developer exactly what they thought.

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Cumnor parish councillor Judy Roberts said: “I think a lot of members of the general public were quite horrified – it is quite a large development in quite a quiet area. In Cumnor we are suddenly getting a lot of requests for care homes, and while we have an increasingly elderly population, our village seems to be inundated.”

Cumnor parish is home to the 55-bed Oaken Holt care home in Eynsham Road, 25-bed Oxenford House in The Glebe, and the seven-bed Shrublands in Faringdon Road. A 72-bed luxury care home is also under construction in Cumnor Hill. Mrs Roberts, who also sits on planning authority Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We are getting them at a thick pace in Cumnor compared to most parishes.

“The trouble is, Cumnor is a nice place, it is green with nice views and we have good access routes with good bus transport.”

But she also said Oxfordshire’s ageing population was going to be a “real problem” in coming years and conceded more care homes did need to be built.

Frontier director Mike Mansell admitted a few close neighbours of the scheme who went to the exhibition had expressed strong feelings about the plans.

He said: “There were two people who absolutely hated it.

“They said it was too big and in the wrong location and it was ‘ruining the village’, but I certainly don’t think there were more than two people who were that against it.”

But Mr Mansell said his company would still look to see if it could lower the roof even further.

Taking on board concerns raised at the exhibition, which was held last week, the company will also see if it can add more parking spaces and maintain more trees on the site, he said.

The company hopes to submit a planning application to Vale of White Horse District Council this month.