A private company has said it will offer children who have experienced trauma ‘safety and stability’ in its new children’s home.

Huntingdonshire District Council has agreed that a four-bedroom house at Ivy Farm, in Cooks Lane, Conington, can be used as a children’s home.

The home will be run by Higher Hopes Limited, which already runs an existing children’s home in Woodwalton.

Some concerns about the rural location of the new children’s home were raised by councillors, but the company said the home would offer a ‘nurturing’ place for children who had experienced trauma.

The plans submitted to the district council said three children aged between eight and 18 years old could live at the home.

Staff would be at the home 24/7 with three carers there during the day and two carers there overnight.

Higher Hopes said all staff would have trauma and attachment training along with PACE training (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy).

The company said: “The cohort of children that the applicant supports have experienced emotional and psychological trauma and require emotional and mental health support.

“The culture and ethos of the proposed home is therefore to provide a family environment and in meeting Ofsted regulations must be ‘homely’ in all appearances similar to that in any traditional family.

“This includes shared meals, household purchasing, shared ‘family activities and days out’, school attendance, earning pocket money and learning life skills.

“The children would have access to a wide range of social activities, encouraging hobbies and participation in clubs such as swimming, bowling, skating, trampolining, for example, the same as children in a traditional family setting.

“The proposed home would provide a form of therapeutic parenting to meet the child’s needs.”

Higher Hopes added that for some of the children they would be caring for at the new home, it could be the first time in their lives that they felt safe.

The company said: “The home will create an environment of encouragement, warmth and nurture which will enable children to feel valued with the opportunity to feel safe, grow and ultimately flourish for what in many cases is the first time in their lives.”

Concerns about the remote location of the home had been shared by some councillors.

Councillor Simon Bywater said: “The location of this proposed application is in an isolated rural setting a long way from any amenities or facilities that young people often need.

“This is exacerbated by the fact transport links for this location are almost non-existent, thus isolating young people placed in such a setting.

“This will clearly prevent a young person from flourishing as outlined by the children’s homes regulations.”

Higher Hopes said the home was near the A1, which provided access to Peterborough and Huntingdon.

The company also said the surrounding area offered “plenty of outdoor space, parks, nature reserves, and meadows”.

It added that schools were “easily accessible” from the home and that there were GP surgeries within five miles of the home.

Responding to the concerns raised by some councillors, planning officers highlighted that the application was for a Lawful Development Certificate and not a full planning application.

They said while the concerns were noted, they could not be considered in the determination of the application, as the certificate required them to make a decision “based upon matters of lawfulness”.

Officers concluded that the proposal to use the house as a children’s home for three young people would not amount to a material change of use, and therefore agreed to grant a Certificate of Lawfulness.

Officers said: “It should be acknowledged that in issuing this certificate, the local planning authority has considered the proposal based upon the details submitted and at a point in time.

“Any future intensification of the use may materially alter the use of the site and should therefore not be undertaken without first obtaining the written permission of the local planning authority.”